I agree with shaw from Nottingham especially when one is abroad amongst such a different culture. In England being a drunk girl out at 4 a.m. is not uncommon but can you imagine doing that sort of thing in India or many other Countries where young girls are brought up with different values to ours. They are treated and regarded as fair game sex wise and on this occasion it all went far too far.

pedro tam, london, U.K.

I have to say that I am quite shocked and worried by the responses that seem to suggest that this girl 'ask for it' by being out late at night and drunk (was her intoxication even voluntary?). Yes a girl in such a state has made herself incredibly vulnerable and her actions were incredibly stupid but that does not mean that what happened is any less shocking. Any group/gang of men who have the intention to commit such a crime are likely to pick an easy target but if she hadnt been there would they have gone home to bed, or picked out another woman?
Furthermore the real issue, that of a supposed cover up of a crime, seems to have been forgotten by most in their rush to point a finger of blame at the mother for leaving the girl alone. Yes the girl was foolish to be out so late and for being in such a state but any suspicious circumstances surrounding the death have to be properly investigated.

Kat, Glasgow,

I think that judgment is unnecessary at this stage.

A beautiful young girl was probably killed, her mother should probably have been more responsible. But, lack of wisdom, naivity and a degree of irresponsibility ought not to lead directly to rape and murder, surely.

Even if we do accept that naivity deserves rape and murder, should that murder then justifiably be covered up by the police to protect economic interests and tourism?

Scarlett's mother was not demanding that the police stopped her daughter from being raped and murdered, she was requesting that the matter be dealt with by the police in a dignified and professional way.

How can a mother be expected to be fully aware of the dangers of a particular area if murders and rapes are routinely covered up?

Anonymous, UK,

I agree with Ajay, Birmingham, except that nothing surprises me any more about the British tendency to have kids, abdicate responsibility for them, then whine and apportion blame elsewhere when something goes wrong.

Why doesn't this otherwise legislation-mad government pass a law making parents totally responsible for their offspring until at least age 18? Oh - and then it would need to enforce that law. Sorry. I forgot. Labour only does legislation, not enforcement. Don't want to offend anyone, do we?

j griffiths, manchester, england

A 15 year old girl should a) not be drunk
b) be out at 4am
c) should not be out alone at 4am

shaw, Nottingham, UK

When in Rome, it is wise to do what Romans do. Please observe common sense precautions. In that part of the world, women avoid going out alone at odd hours of the night. You do that here also. Goa is not the first or only place where these unfortunate incidents have happened. I am referring to a place called Aruba where an American teenager Jeniffer Holloway disapppeared while going out alone at midnight. There are bad apples everywhere. Be extra careful out there.

Jay, , London,

I've always been amazed how young single women can feel safe to wander around places that I as a male infantry veteran wouldn't feel safe walking around armed... It's even sadder I think to see them wandering around with an Ipod strapped to their heads too, clueless and oblivious to any potential dangers.

Just because your local town is safe, doesn't mean some third world country will be too...

Todd, Portland, OR, USA

I've just got back from a holiday in Goa which included stays in Anjuna, Aswem, Palolem and Calangut. I cannot believe that these remarks are about the same place I visited.
I found the Goans polite, helpfull and very laid back. Of course I was not seen roaming the beaches at 4am in a drunken state.
The only problem my friends and I had were from Indian male tourists who got drunk and tried to pick up western women. (twice) On both occasions the Goan waiters in the restaurants came to our rescue in a most chivalrous way and sent the drunken guys packing.
We actually commented on how safe we felt as single females and how courtious the locals were.

heather, palma, spain

It is sad that this event took place. Caution is necessary. Danger is everywhere. Parents should have been careful and prudent. They cannot take for granted that police will protect their daughters.
I am really ashamed of what has happened.
Let us take better measures to shun these incidents.

Ivo, Margao, Goa, India

I have been to Goa many times . Its beautifull but just below the surface is a thriving lowlife culture which lives off innocent holidaymakers.
people quickly relax in this fantastic invironment and then you are at risk.
The innocent beach cafe's are mostly run by foreigners trying to make easy money or sex . So a seemingly innocent bottle of beer on the house can easily contain opium oil which would stupify an elephant .
I know people who this has happened to and survived only because the police who arrested them found enough money to share out on that person. No money and you suddenly have a big problem.

Tim Cato, london, UK

A 15 year old girl isn't safe anywhere in the world if she's intoxicated and amongst strangers. Its a testimony to the good nature of the pepople of Goa that there haven't been many more incidents like this.

How long would she have survived leaving a bar in London or Manchester ....

and I agree with Ajay...15 years old is still a child, leaving her with a stranger wasn't perhaps the wisest decision.

Jenny Thomas, Manchester, United Kingdom

I love Goa & have visited many times over the past 10 years. I have experienced a little unwanted attention from men there, as I have in the UK, but find that a little modesty goes a long way to being treated with respect.

So many girls dress and behave like they're still in Europe...even sunbathing topless. Their ignorance is a big problem for the rest of us; to Indians, wearing a bikini is shocking stuff...no Indian women dress in such a revealing way. Being out late, alone and drunk is also extremely shocking. As distasteful as some men in Goa's attitude to women is, and I am not excusing the behavior, women owe it to themselves to educate themselves when traveling, and show respect to local sensibilities.

This mother was so irresponsible and her comment (below) is a massive cop out...

“There should be signs up, but there aren’t...”

...please! There is a wealth of travel literature available, all offering information on local culture, and specific advice for women travelers.

Faye, Brighton, UK

If I had a 15 year old daughter, she would NOT be wandering round drunk in a foreign land at 4am in a location notorious for predatory males and drugs. Why do people think when they go abroad that they're immune to the world's problems?

Neil S, Glasgow, Scotland

"I thought Muslims hated females, but this is much worse.
jayil, london, uk"

Ignorance breeds prejudice - both are inexcusible.
www.alislam.org

Mahmood Khan, London, UK

I agree with Ajay who mentioned it was just not right for the family to leave that poor innocent girl alone with strangers in Gao. That 15 year old girl was considered a minor in this part of the world unlike the west which consider 15 to be of an adult . I feel the mother and those traveling relatives were just being very irresponsible to leave her in Gao and went on elsewhere. What does an innocent girl from UK knows about potential dangers, which awaits her in a strange land, which she is going for the very first time?
Fred, Kajang, Malaysia.

Fred Tan, Kajang, Selangor, , Malaysia.

Kris iyer is quite right - being on holiday is not a valid reason to stop taking the precautions that you would normally take at home. For goodness' sake, wandering around drunk on your own at 4am, no matter how old you are, whether you're in Goa or Croydon, is ridiculously irresponsible. While Goan police undoubtedly need to increase police presence, women should not be allowing themselves to get into dangerous situations through poor judgment and a lack of awareness.

Anna, Nemours, France

Jayyil,
The practice of killing female babies which was prevalent before the advent of Islam was expressly condemned in the Quran (16:58-59) because of this.

Please don’t fall for baseless rhetoric like “They hate our freedom” and such like by supposed 'World Leaders'.

Steve, London, UK

I am surprised that the mother left her 15 year old behind with some other guy and travelled to Karnataka. The problem in Britain and with the British is that they assume anyone above the age of 12 or 13 to be adults . Actually they should be treated like children and parents should take some responsibility in grooming their children till they are moreresponsible.Sadly many of the parents in Britain do not take enough care ogf their children and one can see these innocent children gettingh into trouble. What ever happened in Goa was however sad and should not have happened.

Ajay, Birmingham, UK

I've just read a news report where it says that the Indian Gov are going to be paying families a sum of money to have female children. Therefore, i think, imo, attacks on foreign women maybe a result of a shortage of women. Men in India tend to become women hungry and sex-starved. Source below:

"India will pay families to have girls to end foeticide"

"The Indian government yesterday announced a scheme to pay poor families to give birth to and bring up girl children, in a bid to stop the trend of parents aborting female foetuses at the rate of half a million a year."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/mar/04/india.gender

I thought Muslims hated females, but this is much worse.

jayil, london, uk

Please name places in Britain, where my 15 year old daughter can "safely" wander about at 4 a.m. in an intoxicated state in the company of strangers ? What is your rape/murder statistics like for 2007? Let us compare that with India's.

Kris iyer, Chennai, India

This is not uncommon at beach resorts in Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, India and a couple of other South and South East Asian locations. Just because the rapes go unreported does not mean they don't happen.

I personally know a couple of ASian men (decent salarymen) who hang around beaches with their buddies at night looking for white women to rape. Rape. Not murder. Imagine other locals loitering at the beaches drooling at scantily clad white women - highly prized catches. Probability of getting caught without murdering the rape victim... extremely low!

PLease don't expect the local police to prioritize finding the rapists - they are all Asian men with low salaries.

S K LIn, Hong KOng, CHina

"34 year-old mother of 8 leaves 15 year old daughter in Goa alone with tour guide while she tours a province a thousand miles away" says it all. Everybody's fault but her own of course.

Billy Barnett, HK,

I am of Indian descent and my English husband and I have felt relatively safe travelling in India, with the exception of Goa, where we were aggressively harassed by local males who appeared out of nowhere on the beach at night - and this was ten years ago. Having also travelled widely elsewhere, there are few places in the world where a woman can take her safety for granted; Goa isn't one of them.

S Pereira, Toronto, Canada

A 6 month to 1 year boycott by British and European tourists would sort the Goa government into providing proper police protection for tourists instead of lip service.

L. Shaw, Vancouver Island, Canada

I found Goa to be extremely sinister. Never go off the beaten track and never go to native Goan parties or houses. When we were there we were constantly 'befriended' and invited home to meet the families. Politely refuse. Regrettably a couple who were on the same flight out as did not refuse a similar offer. They were both drugged and the girl, about 26, was raped and sodomized by 4 different men. A honeymoon she'll never forget.

stewart , leeds,

Its horrible to read what happened to other tourists in India. I visited India several times together with my wife and we only met lovely people and felt completely sure. As we cycled around in Tamil Nadu, we could rely on the friendliness and politeness of everybody.

Rolf-Peter, Gammertingen, Germany

My sympathies are with Mrs MacKeown and her family but a 15 year old girl should not be left unsupervised to roam about anywhere, certainly not a foreign county. There will always be unscrupulous men who seek out vulnerable young women. Parents need to guide and protect their children before expecting the government to intercede.

Anna Bergman, Seattle, WA

If women are respected all over India, as Shavan Bhattacharjee says, what of the tradition of "eve teasing", terminology which trivalises the sexual harrassment of women?

That said, there is no justification for leaving a 15 year old to drink until 4am unsupervised.

Judy, London,

India is a very safe place for women. Women are respected all over the country. Like every society all across the globe there are people with darker motives and one should be careful be it a male or female.

For example recently few Indian students have been found murdered in the US. Does that mean US is unsafe? Absolutely not. It is one's responsibility to judge and see the place or individuals before venturing out into unknown territory.

The onus is on us to ensure our safety and well being.

Shavan Bhattacharjee, Bangalore, India

I went to Goa for Christmas with my husband. I am half Goan and remember it from the early 90's when it was beautiful. But now it is nothing short of disgusting and I was ashamed and embarrassed that I put my lovely Yorkshire husband through such an experience. And we stayed in a five star hotel!

Sunita Russell, Northwood, Middlesex

well i am a goan and i am 46.goa has become a depraved place sad to say.the young generation thinks of white women as sex objects thanks to poronograpy tv ..indians from outside the state come to goa to ogle at whites on the beaches
it is a differnt culture
when europeans go swimming they do not mean to excite men. (indian women rarely swim in public)
so sad
as far as goan police go,please do not compare them to the MET POLICE
i had overstayedmy visa but the british police were very polite considerate and real gentlemen
goan police are poorly paid
yes at night goa is a dangerous place specially for isolated euopean women
i really suggest that digamber kamat forget his chavanistic bjp hindu harldliner/nationalistic approach and invite the british police to help with these crimes

simon fernandes, london, uk

India is a lovely country but it has a dark side where women are not safe from a large minority of local men. My wife was roughly grouped by a large gang of men on our last visit to India. This occurred during a religious festival and people we discussed it with seemed to think it was very common for women to be attacked.

Trevor, London , England