Goemkarponn Desk
Aam Aadmi Party leaders took up the issue of Goan students returning from war-torn Ukraine, and demanded that the Goa Govt extend all the help required to help them deal with their traumatic experience.
“It is not enough to merely have photo-ops with or tweets about our Goan students returning from Ukraine. They have gone through an extremely distressing situation in a foreign country, not knowing whether they would get out of it alive. They require professional counselling to help them deal with this traumatic experience”, Vice President Surel Tilve stated.
Capt Viegas recalled that during the Covid pandemic, Goan seafarers had similarly gone through a traumatic experience due to being stuck at sea amid increasing covid cases.
“There was no certainty when they would be allowed to return home or continue their voyage. We engaged with the State and Central Govts to ensure their safe return to Goa, and organised counselling sessions for them.”, Capt Viegas stated.
“With no clarity of the duration of the war and the resulting destruction in Ukraine, there is complete uncertainty as regards the future of the youth who had gone there to complete their medical education. This is an additional cause for stress for the students”, Viegas explained.
Tilve and Viegas resolved to provide counselling at a party level if the state Govt does not take immediate action on the issue.