The Rape of Britain > Politicians too cowardly to hold a real inquiry - Two Stories

 

Protesters demand grooming gang talks with mayor

Charlotte Hall, BBC

Local Democracy Reporting Service

Protesters have demanded to speak to Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham at a demonstration over grooming gangs and child sex abuse cases in the region.

A group of local campaigners staged a peaceful march through Manchester city centre on Monday to call for justice for the victims of grooming gangs and for a statutory inquiry into cases of alleged abuse.

Some of the group, which included abuse survivors, tried to enter Burnham's headquarters on Oxford Street asking to speak to the mayor, but were unsuccessful.

A spokesman for the mayor said he had "voiced support for further giving voice to victims of child sexual exploitation in Oldham and elsewhere, with national government support".

Abuse survivors from Oldham and Rochdale attended the march, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

They said they were "sick of politicians speaking to politicians" and wanted Burnham and the region's police commissioner to hear directly from those affected.

The spokesman for the mayor's team said: "We are aware of a protest that took place in Manchester City Centre on Monday."

He added Mr Burnham had set up an independent review into child sexual exploitation in 2017 into allegations from Manchester, Rochdale and Oldham, which had uncovered issues of "significant" concern.

The mayor also supported the creation of a Child Sexual Exploitation Major Investigation Team by Greater Manchester Police in 2021, a move which has "brought many more people to justice", the spokesman said.

'Mums, grandmas, survivors'

Amelia, a survivor who changed her name to protect her right to anonymity, said: "Nobody could come down and speak to us. It felt like an insult.

"It would've been nice for the Manchester mayor, the man who represents our city, and the police commissioner to see how many ladies have joined together on this subject.

"You've got mums, grandmas, survivors crying at these protests because of the devastation this issue has brought to our lives."

The Million Women march was held days after Oldham Council voted to request a statutory inquiry into its handling of grooming gangs.

It comes despite the Home Office previously turning down the request and while the local authority has started preparing its own local review.

Supporters of a statutory inquiry have said it is more effective as witnesses can be compelled to give evidence.

Rest assured that regardless of the inquiries, no one will touch the subject of Pakistani men believing they have a right straight from Mohammed to rape young British girls. British politicians are cowardly and traitorous.

Yvette calls for child sex abuse inquiries, but just local inquiries. They will completely avoid the Pakistani / Quran connection. They will also avoid any examination of Keir Starmer's influence as director of public prosecutions when Pakistani gang rapists were not prosecuted.

UK government announces new local inquiries into child sex abuse

The United Kingdom’s government has announced it will back new local inquiries into child sexual abuse and undertake a “rapid” review of the extent of child sexual exploitation in the country, following criticism over historic grooming scandals from the US technology billionaire Elon Musk.

The scandals involved organised groups sexually exploiting vulnerable girls from the 1980s until at least the 2010s. A 2014 inquiry found at least 1,400 children were subjected to sexual exploitation in Rotherham between 1997 and 2013.

The issue was at the centre of a political firestorm last week when a war of words broke out between Musk and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who was director of public prosecutions in England when the scandals came to light.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper on Thursday said the government would set out a timetable to implement the 20 recommendations of a national inquiry published in 2022 but would also go further and back new local investigations.

As you can see from the list below, none of those 20 recommendations touch on the major contributor to child sexual abuse in the UK - Pakistani men.

“Despite all those national inquiries, reports and hundreds of recommendations, far too little action has been taken, and shamefully little progress has been made,” Cooper told Parliament.

She stopped short of announcing a new national public inquiry into the scandal, which Musk and the opposition Conservative Party have called for.

“This is a step in the right direction, but the results will speak for themselves,” Musk wrote on X, reposting a government announcement on the new measures.

The historic scandals have long been seized on by far-right figures, in particular the imprisoned Tommy Robinson, one of the UK’s best-known far-right activists, whom Musk has praised.

In a post shared on X, Musk claimed that Robinson was in prison “for telling the truth” and “should be freed”. Musk also described Starmer’s safeguarding minister, Jess Phillips, as a “rape genocide apologist”.

In response, Starmer said “those that are spreading lies and misinformation as far and as wide as possible are not interested in victims, they are interested in themselves,” without mentioning Musk by name. 

Now that's as stupid a thing as you are ever likely to hear.

Musk’s tirade, which included demands for a new public inquiry into the scandal, prompted some within the opposition Conservative Party to join calls for a new national probe.

‘Locally relevant answers’

Yvette Cooper told Parliament on Thursday that she had ordered a three-month “rapid audit of the current scale and nature of gang-based exploitation across the country”.

The review will look at “cultural and societal drivers” of child sex abuse and “properly examine ethnicity data and the demographics of the gangs involved and their victims,” she added.

Sure they will. Oh, did I mention  I have a tropical island off the coast of Labrador for sale?

Cooper noted that several local reviews, similar to ones that have already taken place, would be launched, rejecting calls by the opposition Conservative Party for a new national inquiry.

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch, who has repeatedly clashed with the prime minister over calls for a national inquiry into grooming gangs, insisted: “I don’t think that local inquiries are enough.”

In response, Cooper said, “As we have seen, effective local inquiries can delve into far more local detail and deliver more locally relevant answers, and change, than a lengthy nationwide inquiry can provide.”

The 20 Recommendations:

The 2022 UK national Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, led by Professor Alexis Jay, made the following 20 recommendations to better protect children from sexual abuse:

1. Mandatory Reporting: Establish a statutory requirement for individuals in regulated activities or positions of trust to report allegations of child sexual abuse, with failure to report being a criminal offense.
2. National Redress Scheme: Create a national compensation scheme for victims of child sexual abuse who have been let down by institutions.
3. Child Protection Authority: Establish a Child Protection Authority for England and Wales to oversee child protection practices, provide policy recommendations, and monitor the implementation of inquiry recommendations.
4. Single Core Data Set: Implement a unified dataset on child sexual abuse to standardize information collection across agencies.
5. Cabinet-Level Minister for Children: Appoint a cabinet minister dedicated to children's issues.
6. Public Awareness Campaign: Launch a national campaign to increase awareness about child sexual abuse and the actions to take if it is suspected.
7. Amend the Children Act 1989: Modify the law to provide better legal protection for children in care.
8. Registration of Care Staff: Require care staff in children's homes to register with an independent regulatory body.
9. Registration in Custodial Settings: Extend registration requirements to staff in young offender institutions and secure training centers.
10. DBS Checks: Allow employers to check if individuals are barred from working with children via the Disclosure and Barring Service.
11. Overseas Checks: Extend DBS checks to cover British citizens working with children abroad.
12. Barred List: Enhance the use of the list of individuals barred from working with children.
13. Age Verification Online: Implement robust age-verification systems for online platforms to protect children from accessing inappropriate content.
14. Mandatory Online Pre-screening: Require online platforms to pre-screen for known child sexual abuse material.
15. Victims' Code Compliance: Conduct joint inspections to ensure compliance with the Victims' Code by criminal justice agencies.
16. Limitation Period: Remove the three-year limitation period for personal injury claims related to child sexual abuse.
17. Therapeutic Support: Guarantee specialist therapeutic support for child victims of sexual abuse.
18. Code of Practice on Records: Establish a code for the retention and access to records related to child sexual abuse, with a requirement to keep them for 75 years.
19. Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme: Amend the scheme to include broader forms of child sexual abuse and extend the time limit for applications.
20. Ban on Pain Compliance: Prohibit the use of pain compliance techniques on children in custodial settings.

These recommendations were designed to address systemic failures and improve the protection and welfare of children across various institutional contexts.