The UK must address the grooming gangs scandal with a national inquiry to support victims and ensure accountability
Rotherham: It’s wild how the online drama between Elon Musk and the British government has overshadowed the real issue at hand—the victims of grooming gangs. We need to focus on them and what they truly need.
This scandal has been highlighted in places like Rotherham, Telford, and Rochdale, where thousands of girls, mostly white, faced horrific abuse from organized groups of men, many of whom were of Pakistani descent.
What’s even more shocking is how local officials and police often turned a blind eye, fearing accusations of racism. It’s a shameful chapter in our country’s history.
But here’s the kicker: there hasn’t been a thorough national report on this issue. The government keeps pointing to the Independent Inquiry Into Child Sex Abuse (IICSA), but that doesn’t cut it.
Sure, IICSA has been around since 2014 and has made some recommendations, but what did it really say about grooming gangs? It’s been a long journey with multiple chairs and reports, but nothing focused on the grooming gang issue itself.
During its run, IICSA published various reports on different types of abuse, but the grooming gangs—one of the most shocking examples of child abuse in recent British history—were largely ignored.
In fact, the final report barely mentioned Rotherham and didn’t even touch on Telford, despite the staggering number of victims in both towns. It’s like they didn’t want to face the truth about how political correctness stifled investigations.
Instead of addressing the problem head-on, IICSA lumped grooming gangs in with other abuse types, claiming they had already been examined. But many places haven’t had the deep dive they desperately need.
Even with all the discussions about the over-representation of Pakistani abusers, the report only mentioned the term “Pakistani” once. It’s baffling how they avoided the real issues.
When it came to ethnicity, the report found that police didn’t record the ethnicity of perpetrators in a huge percentage of cases. This lack of data means they couldn’t even determine if there’s a link between ethnicity and organized child abuse.
Whistleblower Maggie Oliver, who exposed the Rochdale scandal, has called IICSA a “cover-up.” She pointed out that it relied too much on officials’ accounts instead of listening to survivors, who are the ones who truly understand the pain.
Many survivors didn’t even get a chance to testify, and a lot of their statements were cut out. It’s frustrating to see how the inquiry was handled, especially during the pandemic.
Instead of dragging this out, the government should take decisive action. The recommendations from IICSA were weak and haven’t been implemented. What we really need is accountability for those who covered up the abuse.
Local councils can hold their own inquiries, but that’s a political minefield. Reports from places like Telford and Rotherham took ages to come out, and survivors had to fight tooth and nail against politicians who wanted to sweep things under the rug.
Some councils have even voted against inquiries, fearing the bad press that comes with being labeled “another Rochdale or Rotherham.” It’s all about protecting their image instead of seeking justice.
In Oldham, where one abuser worked for the council, there’s a clear conflict of interest. A local review admitted to “serious failings,” but it was redacted, leaving many questions unanswered.
Survivors I’ve spoken to are frustrated with the current approach. They don’t want to wait years for local reports that barely get any media attention. They’re calling for a national inquiry that digs deep into all the relevant towns.
This inquiry should be time-limited, survivor-driven, and have the power to hold police and council employees accountable. It should work alongside the Grooming Gang Taskforce to bring justice to the victims.
Instead of letting this issue fester, the government needs to tackle it head-on. Keir Starmer has a chance to step up and help end this scandal once and for all.
Charlie Peters is GB News’ National Reporter
