New data reveals alarming rates of child abuse by grooming gangs in the UK
London: Shocking news has come out about grooming gangs in the UK. They’re abusing two kids every single day. Can you believe that?
A recent study called the Hydrant Programme looked at data from all 43 police forces in England and Wales. It found 717 cases of child exploitation in 2023 alone, with even more in the first part of 2024.
This program is the first of its kind to gather and analyze data on group-based child sexual abuse. It even includes details about the ethnic backgrounds of the offenders.
The study follows a 2022 inquiry that slammed the police for not collecting good data on victims and abusers. It pointed out that this lack of information has led to a skewed conversation about the ethnic backgrounds of these criminals.
According to the inquiry, this has made it harder to catch offenders and support victims properly. The Hydrant Programme found that group-based crimes made up 3.7% of all child sexual abuse cases in 2023.
That year, there were over 4,200 group-based offences, with 717 linked to grooming gangs. It’s chilling to think that 26% of these cases involved multiple abusers from the same family.
When it comes to the race of the offenders, 83% were white, 7% were Asian, 5% were black, and 3% were mixed race. But these numbers only reflect 34% of suspects since ethnicity is only recorded after they’ve been interviewed.
Richard Fewkes, who runs the Hydrant Programme, mentioned that no specific ethnicity stands out when looking at the overall data. He emphasized that the response to child abuse should be strong, regardless of the offender’s background.
This news comes at a time when Labour has blocked an inquiry into grooming gangs. Sir Keir Starmer, who was in charge of the Crown Prosecution Service during the Oldham scandal, has faced criticism for this.
Back in 2012, he acknowledged that ethnicity was a factor in some cases and stressed that prosecutors shouldn’t shy away from addressing it. It’s a complex issue, and it’s clear that more needs to be done.
