Keir Starmer has launched a national inquiry into grooming gangs after a report by Baroness Louise Casey revealed perpetrators aren’t being brought to justice.
The report, which spans 197 pages, examined local data from three police force areas which include Greater Manchester, West and South Yorkshire. To say the findings are harrowing would be an understatement.
Lady Casey discovered that flawed data has been used to repeatedly dismiss claims about grooming gangs who have committed sexual abuse crimes against children in England and Wales. It was discovered that adult abusers targeted children, mainly girls, some just 10-years-old. Some of the children were in care, had physical or mental disabilities, or had already suffered neglect or abuse.
Prior to conducting the research, the Baroness was asked by Prime Minister Keir Starmer to review new and existing data of grooming gangs, and she found evidence of ‘over-representation’ of Asian and Pakistani heritage men among suspects.
In the report, Baroness Casey said: ‘We found that the ethnicity of perpetrators is shied away from and is still not recorded for two-thirds of preparators, so we are unable to provide any accurate assessment from the nationally collected data.’
In an attempt to reform the system, Baroness Casey has included 12 recommendations within the audit, which Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has confirmed the government have accepted.
The recommendations call for:
- Five existing inquiries into grooming gangs to be coordinated by an independent commission with full statutory powers.
- Every police force in England and Wales to review records to identify cases of child exploitation that haven’t been acted on – convictions of young victims, many of whom still say they face appalling discrimination, should be quashed.
- Research should be conducted into the drivers from group-based child exploitation, which includes social media and cultural factors.
- The law should be tightened to ensure there is no exception to those who sexually penetrate a child under 16 being charged with rape.
- Collecting ethnicity and nationality data for all suspects involved in child sexual abuses and criminal exploitation cases to be made mandatory.
‘While much more robust national data is needed, we cannot and must not shy away from these findings, because, as Baroness Casey says, ignoring the issues, not examining and exposing them to the light, allows the criminality and depravity of a minority of men to be used to marginalise whole communities,’ Ms Cooper said.
What’s more, Ms Copper told the Commons that if these trends continue, the number of cold cases to be reviewed again over child sexual abuse by grooming gangs is expected to rise to more than 1,000 in the coming weeks.
Paul O’Rourke, Managing Director of social care provider Next Stage group, has said that while recognition of such a problem is necessary, we need concrete action rather than an inquiry.
‘Having worked closely with victims of the Rochdale grooming gang, I’ve witnessed first-hand the devastating impact such abuse has on young lives,’ he said. ‘I have seen young girls utterly broken and demented with despair, living each moment with anxiety and fear. They struggled to trust adults and professionals, even those who are trying to help them.
‘When they do find a place of safety and work hard to build up the courage to give information and evidence – not only for their own rehabilitation, but also to save other young people from the abuse they’ve endured – the system fails them. Their abusers often walk free, and the bravery of these young people goes unrewarded.’
‘From experience, we do not need another inquiry – we urgently need systemic change. This starts with addressing the root causes that leave young people vulnerable,’ he continued.
‘We need a more connected safeguarding approach between education, social care, and mental health services. Too often warning signs, such as a child disengaging from school, being collected by unfamiliar adults and showing signs of trauma, are missed or viewed in isolation. The systems aren’t built to share concerns early enough to prevent harm.
‘This inquiry must lead to structural reform that not only holds perpetrators accountable but also strengthens our capacity to prevent abuse by listening to children, acting early, and building the protective infrastructure they deserve.’
Photo by Helena Lopes
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