UK Gov't Hiding Review into Pakistani Grooming Gangs
Grooming gangs review was ‘internal’, government says
after 120,000 people demand publication
Lizzie Dearden Home Affairs Correspondent
The Independent
A review of grooming gangs promised by former home secretary Sajid Javid was “internal”, the government has said after more than 120,000 people called for it to be published.
In response to the petition, a spokesperson said the “fact-finding work” would inform an upcoming strategy on child sexual abuse.
“As part of our work, we have completed a review of existing literature,” a statement added. “We have spoken to investigators and safeguarding professionals to better explore the challenges in investigating these crimes and their understanding of the offenders and victims of group-based child sexual exploitation.”
The Independent understands that a final decision on whether to publish the findings has not yet been made.
Mr Javid first promised the review in July 2018, pledging that there would be “no no-go areas of inquiry”.
He said that abusers convicted in high-profile cases had been “disproportionately from a Pakistani background”, adding: “I will not let cultural or political sensitivities get in the way of understanding the problem and doing something about it.”
Mr Javid spoke about the ongoing work several times but the Home Office made no further announcements after he moved to the Treasury.
Could it be he was moved because of that?
Survivors of child sexual exploitation in Rotherham said they believed the research was going to be made public, and accused the government of making “empty promises”.
Sarah Champion, the Labour MP for Rotherham, and the former chief prosecutor who initiated charges against a grooming gang in Rochdale are among those demanding its release.
In response to a freedom of information (FoI) request from The Independent asking for any research carried out, officials claimed publication was not in the “public interest”.
It may not be in Pakistani's interest, or Islam's interest, but it is definitely in the interest of saving young, British girls from being raped and prostituted by grooming gangs. Is the national government now guilty of the same crimes committed by the police and councils of Rotherham and a host of other cities?
The article sparked a petition on the government website, which has so far been signed by almost 122,000 people.
“We, the British public, demand the release of the official research on grooming gangs undertaken by the government in full,” it says.
It cites another Independent article, which revealed that almost 19,000 suspected child victims of sexual exploitation were identified by local authorities in just one year.
The petition has been signed by people across the UK, as well as British citizens abroad in countries including Australia, Japan and Thailand.
Jailed members of a Huddersfield grooming gang (West Yorkshire Police)
A separate petition calling for the report to be released, on the Change.org website, has more than 14,000 signatures.
The issue could be debated in parliament, but it is not fully sitting because of coronavirus and the outbreak has delayed the work of a committee that schedules petition debates.
The government’s statement was issued seven weeks after the petition passed the threshold requiring an official response.
In response to The Independent’s original FoI request, Home Office officials said they had applied a “public-interest test”, but the information was exempt from the FoI act because it could be used for government policy and included “operationally sensitive” information from police.
“The information could be misleading if made public and used out of context,” the letter added.
“We recognise that this topic in general and any insight and learning are matters of strong public interest, although it does not necessarily follow that it is in the public interest to disclose any specific information relating to it.”
The government statement said tackling child sex abuse was its “top priority”, adding: “Any insights gained from our internal work will inform our future action to end this devastating abuse, including the forthcoming strategy.”
It seems like protecting Pakistani perverts is your top priority. Certainly, protecting young, British girls is not even on your radar.
The statement did not include any findings but said perpetrators “come from many different age groups, communities, ethnicities and faiths”.
The child sexual abuse strategy will set out future work across government, law enforcement, education, social work and industry to stop offenders and to help survivors rebuild their lives.
The new strategy will be useless if it does not address the fact that Mohammed and the Quran give specific permission for Muslim men to do as they like with any non-Muslim girls, of any age, if she is under their power. What does 'under their power' mean. It could mean if she gets into your car, if you get her drunk or on drugs, if she enters an apartment or motel room with you. The term is loosely defined by Muslim men.
“It is right, proper and routine for the government to carry out internal fact-finding work as part of policy development, as we do across a range of crime threats,” the statement added. “Any insights gained from this important internal work will be used to inform our future action to end this devastating abuse.”
The government said it had increased funding for services supporting victims of sexual violence and was working to improve the police response to sexual exploitation.
It added: “Extremists may also seek to exploit legitimate concerns to sow further division. The government will continue to challenge these views and to help communities unite.”
And there you have it! The truth will never emerge from this government unless Sajid Javid becomes Home Minister again or Prime Minister.
Facebook survey asks users if they condone pedophilia
By Nicolas VegaNYPost
Facebook CEO Mark ZuckerbergAFP/Getty Images
Facebook is under fire for publishing a stomach-churning survey that asked users whether pedophiles should be allowed to solicit “sexual pictures” from underage girls.
The cringe-worthy poll surfaced at the top of Facebook’s home page for an unspecified number of users this past weekend, according to a report.
“In thinking about an ideal world where you could set Facebook’s policies, how would you handle the following: a private message in which an adult man asks a 14-year-old girl for sexual pictures,” one question in the survey reads.
The disgusting multiple-choice poll gave users the option to condone the sick behavior, allowing them to vote that the “content should be allowed on Facebook, and I would not mind seeing it.”
Another possible, nausea-inducing response was that “the content should be allowed on Facebook, but I don’t want to see it.”
The twisted survey was spotted by an editor at the Guardian, who published screenshots of it on Twitter.
“I[s] making it secret the best Facebook can offer here?” Jonathan Haynes wrote as he tweeted out the “I don’t want to see it” response in the poll. “Not, y’know, calling the police?”
Yet another bone-headed question asked users who should decide whether pedophilic content was allowed on Facebook — users, Facebook and users, just Facebook or an outside entity.
On Monday, the social networking giant headed by Mark Zuckerberg admitted that it was a “mistake” to publish the survey, which appeared to suggest that Facebook execs were openly debating whether to allow pedophiles on the site.
“We run surveys to understand how the community thinks about how we set policies,” Facebook vice president Guy Rosen said in response to Haynes’ tweet. “But this kind of activity is and will always be completely unacceptable on FB.”
In a statement to The Post, Facebook said the survey has been taken down since it refers to “offensive content that is already prohibited on Facebook and that [they] have no intention of allowing.”
Then why did they bother asking? Were they hoping for a positive pedophilic response?
“We have prohibited child grooming on Facebook since our earliest days, we have no intention of changing this, and we regularly work with the police to ensure that anyone found acting in such a way is brought to justice,” Facebook said.
It’s not the first time that the Palo Alto, Calif., company has found itself in hot water regarding pedophilia on its platform.
In 2015, The Post’s John Crudele asked Facebook to take down a pedophilia-friendly page on its network — but the company said it couldn’t because it didn’t violate its terms of service. After one user started a boycott of Facebook advertisers, the company relented.
Facebook then signed a deal with the NY attorney general promising to help develop software to detect the problem, Crudele reported.
Which they do with the great enthusiasm, I'm sure; well, I'm pretty sure; OK, I seriously doubt it!
Info about child abuse not reaching police
or child protection in Estonia
ERR News
A closed playground in Tartu.A closed playground in Tartu. Source: Mana Kaasik
Without revealing any exact numbers, Reimo Raivet, head of the Sexual Crimes Unit of the Police and Border Guard Board's (PPA) North Prefecture, said that while they do have something currently under investigation, it isn't comparable to the situation prior to the emergency situation and accompanying social distancing, EPL writes (link in Estonian).
"A child is in trouble, but they don't have anyone to tell even if they had the courage to do so," Raivet said, noting that as children are at home during the pandemic, kindergarten teachers, teachers, psychologists, school nurses, coaches and other adults outside of the family typically in their lives that have previously reported concerns to the police cannot keep an eye on them.
Social Insurance Board Children's House director Anna Frank-Viron believes that in some cases, at least, sexual abuse may be down due to the additional presence of the other parent as well as siblings, but admitted that in other cases, a child may be subject to an increased amount of abuse as they are stuck at home, adding that they may not have the opportunity to report abuse either if their phone and computer are being monitored by their abuser.
Emergency situation limiting chances to seek help for domestic violence
According to European Commission data, one in five children in Europe has experienced abuse; in Estonia, 32 percent of youth between the ages of 16-18 has experienced abuse, and one in ten youths has experienced sexual abuse.
Of particular concern to authorities are children with special needs, particularly as access to usual support is hampered by the pandemic and emergency situation, as well as children spending increased amounts of time online, where they are prone to become victims of abuse, including at the hands of other children and youth or online predators.
Both Frank-Viron and Raivet stressed that help is still available, however, and encouraged children, parents and neighbors or other bystanders to reach out for help in the case of suspected child abuse.
As of April 20, a total of 210 cases of physical, emotional and psychological child abuse have been reported in Estonia.
Germany: Reported child sex abuse increases
By Deutsche Welle
Germany reported a large increase in the number of cases of sexual violence against children in 2019, new police statistics released on Monday showed.
According to the figures, 15,936 cases of sexual violence against minors were reported last year, compared to 14,606 the year before. They also reported 12,262 reported cases of child pornography, a huge jump from 2018 and over double the number reported in 2016.
"Sexual abuse is also a pandemic;
a pandemic on a dramatic scale,"
"Sexual abuse is also a pandemic; a pandemic on a dramatic scale," the federal commissioner for abuse Johannes-Wilhelm Rörig said. He pointed out that one quarter of cases of sexual abuse against children are carried out by members of their immediate family.
Further increase possible, would you believe, probable
Federal police chief Holger Münch was quick to point out that the effects of coronavirus restrictions on public life were not reflected in the figures, as they refer only to 2019. Experts say that school closures and parents and guardians spending more time with children, is likely to cause an increase in abuse against children.
Münch also warned that the figures should be treated cautiously as the real numbers may be much higher.
"The number of unknown cases is large," Münch said. "We don't yet know if the coronavirus restrictions will lead to a further increase."
Britain's Islamic authorities say child sexual abuse in Muslim communities is 'underreported' because victims are too scared to tell anyone
By JACK WRIGHT FOR MAILONLINEBritain's biggest Islamic authorities believe that child sexual abuse within the Muslim community is 'underreported' because it is a 'taboo subject'.
The Muslim Women's Network (MWN) presented written testimony to the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) stating that the 'scale of the problem is hidden' because victims are 'forced' into silence.
The inquiry also received written testimony from the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) stating it thinks cases are 'underreported... due to cultural issues and stigma'.
All religious organisations are being investigated by IICSA, which was set up by the British government in 2014 following the Jimmy Savile sex abuse scandal.
Since then, investigators have been told that one in ten cases of child sexual abuse have taken place in a religious institution.
Muslim community leaders are giving evidence today via Zoom conferencing.
The MWN said: 'We feel that even our knowledge is only the tip of the iceberg and the scale of the problem is hidden due to the silence of victims (such silence forced upon them them due to a number of cultural barriers).
'This is a serious hindrance because it makes room for excuses, such as there not being a problem of child sexual abuse in their institutional setting or even community and that therefore nothing else needs to be done.'
It said that when raising concerns relating to child sexual abuse, they did so in the context of abuse within mosques, the home environment, through religious organisations, in a non-teaching context and in other faith-based services.
The MCB said: 'Smaller organisations may be prone to dealing with child sexual abuse cases with extra sensitivity to protect the reputation of the child and the family as well as the organisation as it is often seen as a taboo subject.
'Due to cultural issues and stigma it is our view, based on professional knowledge, that it (child sexual abuse) is underreported'.
Responding to the testimonies, Shaukat Warraich, chief executive of Faith Associates, told the inquiry there was '100 per cent' underreporting of cases.
He claimed there were 'vulnerabilities around child safeguarding' within mosques and that 'people in their forties and fifties' who 'went through the system... have spoke to us to talk about what happened to them'.
"Send Nudes": A New Study Shows How Often Boys Pressure Girls For Explicit Photos
by KatherineA Mighty Girl
A recent study has shown just how common it is for teen boys to coerce or threaten girls into sending nude pictures: an analysis of 500 accounts from 12- to 18-year-old girls about negative experiences sexting found that two-thirds of them had been asked to provide explicit images — and that the requests often progressed from promises of affection to "anger displays, harassment and threats."
In an article discussing the study in The New York Times, psychologist Lisa Damour writes, "Teenagers are drafted into a sexual culture that rests on a harmful premise: on the heterosexual field, boys typically play offense and girls play defense… Most schools and many parents already tell teenagers not to send sexualized selfies. But why don't we also tell adolescents to stop asking for nude photos from one another?"
In some cases, boys also used existing pictures to pressure girls to send more by threatening to broadcast the previous ones. Boys not in relationships also asked girls for pictures, and almost 12% of the stories reported a barrage of requests from multiple people that left girls feeling that "requests for photographs are inevitable and unavoidable." But most notably, Thomas found that girls seemed to have no framework for what to do: "While many young women took on the responsibility of negotiating these pressures, they also reported expressing confusion… [because they] lack the tools to do so."
Damour, who explores this topic in-depth in her book Under Pressure: Confronting the Epidemic of Stress and Anxiety in Girls, says that parents and educators can make simple changes to help support young women in this situation, starting by focusing as much on the requesting as on the sending by requiring greater accountability from boys making such requests. "It is of course true that simply declaring a new behavioral code will not erase a problem," she writes. "But rules can make a difference." When an adult says "it's not O.K. to request naked pictures because then you are putting someone else in a terrible position," it sets what Damour calls a "behavioral speed bump" that both girls and boys can use to counter adolescent impulsiveness.
It also gives girls something they desperately need: clear guidance about what to do if someone harasses them about sending a nude picture. "If parents and schools have made it clear that the requests are a violation," Damour points out, "girls would feel that they had the option of taking screenshots of them and seeking help from adults." By doing so, Damour, who is also the author of Untangled: Guiding Teenage Girls Through the Seven Transitions Into Adulthood, argues that we are "laying out high and equitable expectations for young people as they begin their own romantic lives [which] can only be a step in the right direction." After all, she observes, "In the wider culture, it appears we have suddenly come to the limit of our tolerance for the sexualized abuse of power by adult men. A logical next step is to recalibrate some of the toxic norms that have taken hold among teenagers."
ie. The Culture of Rape.
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‘Sex offenders dominated leadership’ of scouting body for decades, report finds
Scouting Ireland makes an ‘organisational apology’
to survivors of child sex abuse
Jack Power
Individuals who had a “sexual interest” in children rose to positions of power in legacy scouting organisations and were able to prevent known child abusers from being removed from the organisations, according to a damning report into the historical abuse scandal.
There was “cover-up and there was a failure to report” the abuse, and an “almost complete absence of any concern for the young people that were abused,” the report said.
Scouting Ireland published a final report on Thursday into historical child sex abuse that took place in legacy scouting organisations. The report was compiled by child protection expert Ian Elliott.
“Abuse did happen and was not responded to in a way that protected the young person or sought to hold the offender to account,” Mr Elliott said.
“Individuals who had a sexual interest in young people rose to positions of power and influence on occasions and controlled any fledgling accountability processes, preventing known offenders from being removed from scouting,” the report said.
The number of alleged victims of child sex abuse has increased to 356, and 275 alleged perpetrators, and a further 70 victims of alleged youth-on-youth abuse. The alleged abuse primarily occurred between the 1960s and 1990s.
The historical child sexual abuse scandal relates to predecessor organisations, the Catholic Boy Scouts of Ireland (CBSI) and the Scout Association of Ireland (SAI), which merged to form Scouting Ireland in 2004.
The report said one of the legacy bodies was a “seriously dysfunctional organisation,” with “sex offenders dominating the leadership for decades”.
The culture of the legacy organisations was “driven by self-interest”, with little attention paid to the young people involved in scouting.
The report concluded the existence of this “negative culture driven by self-interest, along with poor governance structures, as being the main cause of the continuation of sexual abuse in scouting”.
The “close link” between CBSI and the Catholic Church meant some noted clerical sex offenders found “acceptance of their practices” in the scouting body, particularly during the 1980s and 90s, it said.
Cronyism “thrived” in the former bodies and remained a “significant problem in scouting” up until Mr Elliott’s first involvement with Scouting Ireland in mid-2017, he said.
“Poor governance structures contributed greatly to the failure of scouting to consistently and comprehensively address abuse,” and individuals who behaved badly were not held to account, he said.
Mr Elliott, who also acted as Scouting Ireland’s interim safeguarding manager for a period, has been investigating the scale of the historical abuse for over a year.
There is evidence that sex offenders at the top level of the legacy organisations operated as groups to protect each other, “preventing any attempts to hold an alleged offender accountable for their actions, if they were part of their group,” the report said.
Volunteers who tried to report abuse were put under pressure and told that certain senior officials were “too important” to be challenged, the report said.
In some cases, people in power used information of allegations made against individuals for the “purposes of exerting pressure” on them to support certain policies or actions. The report found in this way information had a “value in manipulating people, rather than being focused on protecting young people.”
In an online press conference, Scouting Ireland board chair Adrian Tennant, made a full organisational apology over the historic abuse. Mr Tennant said Scouting Ireland “unreservedly apologise to the victims and survivors of abuse in scouting who were failed.
“We are sorry that adults in scouting harmed you. We are sorry that you were not protected,” he said. Commenting on the report, Mr Tennant said it revealed crimes were “ignored and in some cases actively covered up.”
Sexual predators had “used the movement” to destroy the lives of young people, he said. “Based on emerging evidence senior volunteers, who were thought to be sex offenders themselves, did share information with each other about their abuse and took steps to facilitate that abuse for each other,” he said.
The report found the previous record-keeping system of files related to alleged child abuse cases was “chaotic,” and material was “often stored in the homes of key volunteers”.
Despite repeated requests over the past two years for these files to be passed to Scouting Ireland’s headquarters in Larch Hill, “very little additional documentation has been surrendered,” the report said.
Due to this “systematic” failure to create and retain proper records of abuse allegations Mr Elliott said the “full extent” of the abuse cannot be known. Scouting Ireland had failed to secure this documentation after its formation and through that “negligence” had contributed to its loss, it said.
The past abuse was first disclosed by the organisation at an Oireachtas committee hearing in November 2018.
An initial review by Mr Elliott had uncovered 108 alleged victims of abuse and 71 alleged abusers, following an audit of historical files, and information provided by survivors coming forward. On foot of the revelations Mr Elliott was commissioned by the organisation to complete a full report into the scale and nature of the past abuse.
Several survivors and Opposition politicians have previously called for a statutory inquiry to be held into the historical abuse. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar told the Dáil last November the Government would consider a “commission of investigation or a statutory inquiry of some nature” into the scandal.
The controversy facing Scouting Ireland began over two years ago, when The Irish Times reported details of a confidential review which had found the handling of a rape allegation concerning two adult volunteers to be “deeply flawed”.
The youth organisation’s State funding was twice suspended; in 2018 by Minister for Children Katherine Zappone over governance concerns in response to the controversy.
Scouting Ireland has more than 50,000 members, including 12,000 adult volunteers.
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