Victims minister and inquiry chair urge immediate action against grooming gangs
Oldham: It’s about time we stopped talking and started doing something about grooming gangs. That’s the message from the victims minister and the chair of the child abuse inquiry. They’re calling for real action now.
Some Conservative MPs are pushing for a national inquiry into the sexual abuse of young girls across Britain. This comes after a lot of chatter on social media, especially from Elon Musk, who’s been taking shots at the Prime Minister.
But the victims minister, Alex Davies-Jones, isn’t having it. She said, “What’s important now is less talk and more action.” It seems like she’s had enough of the back-and-forth.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer faced backlash after suggesting that some politicians are just trying to ride the wave of far-right sentiments. Shadow home secretary Chris Philp pointed out that smearing those who raise these issues is what led to the cover-up in the first place.
Elon Musk has been vocal on his platform, X, criticizing the Prime Minister and the safeguarding minister. Meanwhile, Professor Alexis Jay, who led a major inquiry into child sexual abuse, believes victims are ready for action, not more inquiries.
She mentioned on BBC Radio that enough is enough. Victims want to see real steps taken, and it’s time to get moving on that front.
There’s been a lot of chatter on X from Musk about the government’s decision not to launch a Home Office inquiry into sexual exploitation in Oldham, insisting it should be handled locally.
When asked if Musk knows what’s happening in Oldham, Professor Jay didn’t really answer but noted that the long-term effects of child sexual abuse are rarely discussed.
As for the victims minister, she couldn’t give a clear timeline for when the recommendations from the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse would be put into action. She assured everyone that they’re working quickly, though.
She mentioned that some recommendations could be implemented soon, and the Home Secretary has already started that process. New offenses will be included in the upcoming Crime and Policing Bill.
Interestingly, she also said there won’t be a new Cabinet minister for children, as one already exists in Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson. She emphasized that preventing child sexual exploitation is a shared responsibility among several ministers.
In the midst of all this, the shadow justice secretary claimed that Pakistani men are over-represented in grooming gangs. He pointed out that some individuals from certain cultures have outdated views on women.
He referenced the Jay Report, which highlighted that Pakistani men are often involved in these gangs, specifically targeting white, working-class girls.
While the three most infamous child sex gang cases—Rotherham, Rochdale, and Telford—had predominantly Pakistani and South Asian perpetrators, a Home Office study from 2020 found that most group-based offenders are actually white.
Some cases, like the 2010 convictions of a group of white men in Cornwall, didn’t get as much attention as those in the North West.
Professor Jay’s inquiry found that there’s not enough data to determine if any specific ethnic group is over-represented in child sexual exploitation networks.
