Rotherham Children sexually exploited

[top4718 838]

Well I'm left wing, part of my job involves working with vulnerable people, and if I had so much of a sniff of abuse then I would be taking it beyond my immediate managers if they tried to sweep it under the carpet. It is perfectly possible to work both sensitively and ethically with people whilst mindful of legal priorities - let me make that point clear before the whole of the social work profession is smeared with the child abuse label.....More to the point South Yorkshire police hardly known as a bastion of sensitivity have also been implicated, so the case would exist and does exist.

 

It looks like the prevelant attitude at RBC allowed it to be swept under the carpet by threatening people with their livelihoods, be thankful you work in an environment where this is not the case as these people were.

 

The revelation that a couple of fathers were arrested after confronting their children's abusers shows the level of cover ups that were in place, utterly disgraceful.

[martynh99 10]

Excellent write up here

http://topofthecops.com/2014/08/27/why-shaun-wright-must-go/

[Dannyno 19]

It's amazing how the likes of boyfriday can still deny that race played a part when the staff, victims and the writer of the report Prof Alexis Jay all state it as fact, he makes out that this was a glib excuse by the council employees akin to saying they were washing their hair when it happened. His comments are a microcosm of why the while affair has reached the levels it has.

 

[by the way, Alexis Jay is a woman]

 

People should read the report before they make statements about what it says.

 

http://www.rotherham.gov.uk/downloads/file/1407/independent_inquiry_cse_in_rotherham

 

The report paints a dreadful picture of hundreds of girls being exploited by criminal gangs, but being failed by those who should have been protecting them. Heads should roll.

 

But a lot of attention is being given to the ethnic dimension, and although there are important issues there, the media is not being clear about what those issues are, and also other more important factors are being ignored.

 

It also worries me because it plays into the hands of racists, and xenophobes, whose agenda is to whip up tension between communities.

 

The racist perspective is that "Asian" men were exploiting white girls because they (not just the individuals, all "Asians") in some respect hate or are contemptuous of white people, portraying "Asians" (or "Muslims") as therefore a dangerous social 'disease' inevitably in conflict with white people, that must be eradicated, somehow.

 

The report does NOT say that ethnicity was a factor in the failure to prosecute offenders or protect victims. In fact it says there is no evidence of this.

 

What the report does say is that leaders wanted their staff to downplay the ethnicity of offenders, for fear of causing tension, or of being seen to be targeting a particular community in a racist way.

 

Why is the identification of ethnicity important? Surely all that matters is that you go after the offenders. Well, yes, but actually understanding the background helps - in understanding the problem, in getting information into and out of the community, and so forth. And in making sure you're not being blind to deeper problems.

 

That's significant. Because the ethnic angle was downplayed, it contributed to the invisibility of sex abuse problems in the Asian community itself. Common sense tells you that if a gang of Asian men are abusing young girls outside their immediate ethnic community, then it's likely the same is going on inside it. I'll come back to that.

 

It needs saying that misogynistic attitudes fed both ends of this problem. It's behind the attitudes of the men who committed the crimes, and also the attitudes of the (mainly white, of course) police and others who regarded the exploited girls as effectively consenting prostitutes who were "therefore" not worth any attention, regardless of their age. They were not seen as victims.

 

It is also a factor in the silence of some in the Asian/Muslim community, who - like social/religious conservatives everywhere - regard sex abuse as a taboo that brings shame on families: so you don't talk about it. Doesn't mean you approve of it, but it does mean you don't deal with it properly.

 

Misogyny is not unique to any community, as is pretty obvious in this report.

 

Were white girls being targeted - the report seems to suggest that they were. But why? Because all Asians hate all whites? Surely not. Because of religion? No. Perhaps because that's who the customer wanted? Perhaps because they were part of an "out-group"? Perhaps for a range of reasons.

The report does not say.

 

But hang on, things are more complex than that, because the report also points out that most abuse is perpetrated by people close to the victims. Asian girls were also victims in this. The report notes that the low-reporting of sex crimes from that community could lead to a perception that the problem was exclusive a problem for white girls and that Asian girls were "not abused".

 

This hits the important point about ethnicity.

 

The report notes that Asian women's groups were frustrated on a least two fronts. First, that most liaison with Asian communities happened via male-dominated religious and community leaders, the very people from their perspective least likely to deal with the issues properly. And second, that ignoring the fact these offenders were Asian, meant that community leaders could continue to live in denial that there was an Asian sex abuse problem at all - the stereotype is that it just doesn't happen, hence targeting white girls - and that's just wrong.

 

It's quite likely this denial was sincere, among many, even if wilful blindness was involved. The well-meaning desire of the professional leadership to not identify ethnic background prevented an opportunity to open the eyes of the deniers.

 

So the media obsession with ethnicity hinges on the idea that people failed to prosecute offenders because they were Asian. This is not the case. But downplaying the Asian background of the offenders did enable the perpetrators by taking attention away from what they were doing, and in making sex abuse look like only a problem affecting white girls.

 

To emphasize: Asian girls were also abused by these gangs, and lower reporting rates and a desire to avoid racial tensions prevented the scale of the problem being understood.

 

The racist narrative is wrong and should be combatted. The true role of the ethnic factor needs understanding.

 

But much more crucial, and what we are in danger of losing sight of, is the complete failure of the authorities to get a grip on the problem - even when good work was being done by the relevant agencies - and the report is clear that very good work was being done. But when the girls were being seen as

prostitutes rather than victims - an echo from white middle class police professionals and service mangers of the attitudes that are supposed to be the preserve of conservative Asian people - this good work was frustrated by inaction.

 

Let me quote from the report:

 

Within the Council, we found no evidence of children’s social care staff being influenced by concerns about the ethnic origins of suspected perpetrators when dealing with individual child protection cases

 

In the broader organisational context, however, there was a widespread perception that messages conveyed by some senior people in the Council and also the Police, were to 'downplay' the ethnic dimensions of CSE. Unsurprisingly, frontline staff appeared to be confused as to what they were supposed to say and do and what would be interpreted as 'racist'. From a political perspective, the approach of avoiding public discussion of the issues was ill judged.

 

Representatives of women's groups were frustrated that interpretations of the Borough's problems with CSE were often based on an assumption that similar abuse did not take place in their own community and therefore concentrated mainly on young white girls.

 

Both women and men from the community voiced strong concern that other than two meetings in 2011, there had been no direct engagement with them about CSE over the past 15 years, and this needed to be addressed urgently, rather than 'tiptoeing' around the issue.

 

As has been stated many times before, there is no simple link between race and child sexual exploitation, and across the UK the greatest numbers of perpetrators of CSE are white men.

 

young people in Rotherham believed at that time that the Police dared not act against Asian youths for fear of allegations of racism. This perception was echoed at the present time by some young people we met during the Inquiry, but was not supported by specific examples.

 

staff in children’s social care said that when writing reports on CSE cases, they were advised by their managers to be cautious about referring to the ethnicity of the perpetrators.

 

The Inquiry team was confident that ethnic issues did not influence professional decision-making in individual cases.

 

Frontline staff did not report personal experience of attempts to influence their practice or decision making because of ethnic issues. Those who had involvement in CSE were acutely aware of these issues and recalled a general nervousness in the earlier years about discussing them, for fear of being thought racist.

 

The current chair of the Rotherham Council of Mosques had made strenuous efforts to widen representation on his Council to include women and demonstrated a strong personal commitment to dealing with child protection and CSE. He was disappointed not to have had any contact from the Safeguarding Board in the past, but was encouraged by recent discussions.

 

Several councillors interviewed believed that by opening up these issues they could be 'giving oxygen' to racist perspectives that might in turn attract extremist political groups and threaten community cohesion. To some extent this concern was valid, with the apparent targeting of the town by groups such as the English Defence League.

 

One of the local Pakistani women's groups described how Pakistani-heritage girls were targeted by taxi drivers and on occasion by older men lying in wait outside school gates at dinner times and after school. They also cited cases in Rotherham where Pakistani landlords had befriended Pakistani women and girls on their own for purposes of sex, then passed on their name to other men who had then contacted them for sex. The women and girls feared reporting such incidents to the Police because it would affect their future marriage prospects.

 

The UK Muslim Women's Network produced a report on CSE in September 2013 which drew on 35 case studies of women from across the UK who were victims, the majority of whom were Muslim. It highlighted that Asian girls were being sexually exploited where authorities were failing to identify or support them. They were most vulnerable to men from their own communities who manipulated cultural norms to prevent them from reporting their abuse.

 

The Deputy Children's Commissioner’s report reached a similar conclusion to the Muslim Women's Network research, stating 'one of these myths was that only white girls are victims of sexual exploitation by Asian or Muslim males, as if these men only abuse outside of their own community, driven by hatred and contempt for white females. This belief flies in the face of evidence that shows that those who violate children are most likely to target those who are closest to them and most easily accessible.' The Home Affairs Select Committee quoted witnesses saying that cases of Asian men grooming Asian girls did not come to light because victims 'are often alienated and ostracised by their own families and by the whole community, if they go public with allegations of abuse.'

 

it is clear that women and girls in the Pakistani community in Rotherham should have been encouraged and empowered by the authorities to speak out about perpetrators and their own experiences as victims of sexual exploitation, so often hidden from sight. The Safeguarding Board has recently received a presentation from a local Pakistani women's group about abuse within their community. The Board should address as a priority the under-reporting of exploitation and abuse in minority ethnic communities.

 

The current media focus is getting these issues backwards.

Edited August 27, 2014 by Dannyno

[top4718 838]

My mention of "he" was referring to boyfriday (and his apologist ilk) not the woman who wrote the report.

[green 10]

Very well said Dannyno. A voice of reason.

[boyfriday 21]

My mention of "he" was referring to boyfriday (and his apologist ilk) not the woman who wrote the report.

 

You clearly had no interest in reading the report or understanding of my comments with regard to it. Perhaps you could tell me who I'm 'apologising' for?

Edited August 27, 2014 by boyfriday

[JFKvsNixon 11]

Should we be considering a boycott of Pakistani products and services like the Israel boycott?

 

Do you also think that we should boycott Jersey products after the abuse scandal involving one of their children's homes? What about a boycott of Italian products after the abuse involving the Catholic Church, and while we're at it what about a boycott of the media, after all their recent sex abuse scandals?

[top4718 838]

You clearly had no interest in reading the report or understanding of my comments with regard to it.

 

I have read it and it mentions the things you deny many times.

 

To put it very simply - it appears that senior figures at RBC had a similar mindset to the excuse makers on here had they not been afraid because of the prevailing working conditions this would have been nipped in the bud at a very early stage.

 

If 1400 known victims are out there how many abusers were there and how does this correlate with the number of Pakistanis in Rotherham.

 

Mark my words this will only be the tip of a very, very large iceberg and not only in Rotherham, history will prove that political correctness will be one of the most damaging indictments on our society and freedom.

[Jonny5 10]

Do you also think that we should boycott Jersey products after the abuse scandal involving one of their children's homes? What about a boycott of Italian products after the abuse involving the Catholic Church, and while we're at it what about a boycott of the media, after all their recent sex abuse scandals?

I think/hope that he's pointing out the hypocrisy of blaming an entire set of people for the actions committed by a subset of those people.

 

Although its hard to tell anymore.

[gimp27 10]

Other apologists on here keep referring to cases involving Catholic priests, celebrities etc, there is a common denominator in all these cases - the people involved thought they were untouchable, the Asians in this case and in other areas were bestowed this untouchable status by ridiculous PC agendas that are endemic in the UK, they probably couldn't believe there luck and the stupidity of those that allow it.

 

I said yesterday that normal rational people are sick to the back teeth of pussy footing around the fear of being branded "Racist" for standing up, and saying what is right. Your post is excellent, and the feeling of many normal unbrainwashed people. The sooner these so called "minorities" quit with the race card, the better. And I CAN say that, as im of mixed race, yet I have no issues with the fact that these filthy dirty disgusting animals were Pakistani, and its clear that the authorities wanted to keep a lid on it, for fear of stirring racial tension. There is no racism here, just a bunch of Pakistanis who thought they were above the law, and their beliefs were paramount.

How wrong these scumbags were.

[ormester101 10]

you don't see the irony in your statement ? now the right wing have taken the story, turned it into a race issue and battering the WHOLE Asian community

strangely disregarding the other recent sex cases and major coverups due to the communities they evolved from

its not a race issue its a rape issue

 

of course its a race issue only you left wingers dont see this or try and turn it around the people didnt report it because of it might upset a ethnic minority group so of cause melthebell its a race issue . seriousley i suggest you actually get your head of of the sand .

[ormester101 10]

[

 

 

battering the whole asian community??

 

more like a boneheaded denial about the transparently obvious pattern that is self-evident to all.

The reports are saying that the overwhelming majority of offenders said that the offenders were British Pakistani. The overwhelming majority of their child victims have said that their abusers were abusers of Pakistani descent.

what problem do you have with that objective, hard-fact?

 

Since when has "community-cohesion" and "cultural sensitivity" ever an excuse for moral blindness and craven cowardice?

 

being an idiot apologist for complete and utter evil (child rape no less). No doubt, you and the forum flock will soon appear on sf blaming the victims for provoking the unstable sensitivities of a sexually backward minority.

 

good post what makes me sick is some people on the are so left wing and just dig there head in the sand .

 

---------- Post added 27-08-2014 at 22:03 ----------

 

Hmm, too much emphasis has been placed on this 'fear of being accused of being a racist', in my reasonably long lifetime I've rarely encountered people who are afraid to articulate their real views due to this fear, ironically it's often racists who handwring over this anxiety ie..people who have something racist to say.

 

So, how has this conclusion been arrived at?

 

The author of the report has no doubt interviewed the main protagonists. Squirming in their seats they lurch for the nearest excuse for their inaction, one which they know will have resonance amongst some-" I couldn't do anything because I was afraid of being accused of racism", that's it, case closed as far as observers such as yourself are concerned, but how much relevance can we attach to it? After all the same professions of people failed to act in the Operation Yewtree allegations and there wasn't a darkie in sight.

 

Do cognitive, coherent individuals with evidence of wrongdoing against children really give a rat's arse about what they might be accused of? Someone might accuse them of being a racist, so what it hasn't ever killed anybody, but child abuse often has!!

 

boyfriday you my friend twist it that much you should be a politician with that much spin