On April 3 (local time), the United Kingdom’s Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced a new Grooming Gangs Taskforce to assist police forces in investigating the serious problem of Muslim grooming gangs in the country. As per the official statement from his office, the task force will have specialist officers to assist in the investigation to ensure the criminals behind grooming gangs will be brought to justice.
I will do whatever it takes to root out grooming gangs once and for all.
— Rishi Sunak (@RishiSunak) April 3, 2023
Here’s how 👇 pic.twitter.com/ZOLoMxippH
The task force will be led by the police and supported by the National Crime Agency. The officers included in the task force will have extensive experience in undertaking investigations against such gangs. The aim of the task force is to root out the grooming gangs and put the perpetrators behind bars.
The statement added that the data analysts would be brought into the task force to use the data and intelligence to identify the types of criminals who commit such offences. The data analysis will also assist police in catching offenders who might otherwise escape the justice system. One of the major issues that the UK has faced in the past is the so-called cultural sensitivities that led to throwing such cases under the rug. The new system will include police-recorded ethnicity data to ensure the suspects cannot evade justice just because of their ethnicity.
In a statement, PM Sunak said, “The safety of women and girls is paramount. For too long, political correctness has stopped us from weeding out vile criminals who prey on children and young women. We will stop at nothing to stamp out these dangerous gangs.”
3/ We’re bringing in mandatory reporting for adults working with children.
— Rishi Sunak (@RishiSunak) April 3, 2023
If they suspect or identify that child is being abused, they must speak out.
Authorities can stop the abuse, put perpetrators behind bars and get victims the support they need much sooner. pic.twitter.com/FXcCQB2rLU
He also pledged to ensure the grooming gang members and the ring leaders get the toughest possible sentences for their crimes. Furthermore, the Sunak govt will introduce legislation to bring the grooming gang leader a statutory aggravating factor during sentencing that would reflect the Government’s commitment towards ensuring the toughest sentences for the crimes.
Political correctness should never get in the way of keeping women and young girls safe.
— Rishi Sunak (@RishiSunak) April 3, 2023
That’s why I’m leading the most robust action Government has ever taken to crack down on grooming gangs.
We will do whatever it takes to root out this evil once and for all. pic.twitter.com/vopSyUJQ7P
In a statement, Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Secretary, Dominic Raab, said, “Grooming gangs are a scourge on our society, and I want to send a clear message to anyone who exploits vulnerable children that they will face the full weight of the law. This builds on the extensive action this Government has already taken to introduce tougher sentencing, and the reforms introduced last week in the Victims and Prisoners Bill to keep the most dangerous offenders behind bars, while making sure victims get the support they need at all times.”
The announcement came a day after Home Secretary Suella Braverman lashed out at the previous governments for ignoring the grooming gang menace in the country. She said, “Child sexual abuse is one of the most horrific crimes facing our society, it devastates victims, families and whole communities. The protection of children is a collective effort. Every adult must be supported to call out child sexual abuse without fear.”
She added, “And the despicable abusers must be brought to justice. They should not be able to hide. And they must face the full force of the law for their crimes. That’s why I’m introducing a mandatory reporting duty and launching a call for evidence. We must address the failures identified by the Inquiry and take on board the views of the thousands of victims and survivors who contributed to its findings.”
“I would encourage everyone to engage with the process once it starts – it is important to have a national conversation about this to shine a light on this terrible – but too often hidden – crime,” she said.
Mandatory reporting, as suggested by the Home Secretary, was one of the key recommendations given after an independent inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse cases. Professor Alexis Jay OBE, Chair of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, and Author of Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Exploitation in Rotherham said, “The Prime Minister’s statement today places a renewed focus on tackling the sexual abuse and exploitation of children by organised networks. I welcome these announcements, some of which reflect the recommendations of the Inquiry’s own Report on child sexual exploitation in 2022. The commitment to Mandatory Reporting is very encouraging, and I look forward to working with the Government to ensure that the full package of the Inquiry’s recommendations in its Final Report is taken forward to better protect children from sexual abuse in the future.”
PM Sunak’s statement on Grooming Gangs after assuming the chair
In October 2022, soon after becoming the UK’s Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak said in a statement that people in the UK were scared of calling out grooming gangs because of political correctness.
During an interview, PM Sunak outlined how he would tackle the problem of grooming gangs in the UK. Notably, several reports of vulnerable minor girls being sexually exploited have continued to surface in towns like Rotherham, Telford and Oldham in the last few years. Investigations revealed that police and councils did not act appropriately in time and failed to protect the children from the grooming gangs.
PM Sunak called it a ‘horrific crime’ and vowed to tackle the problem as a priority if he was made Prime Minister.
The problem of Muslim grooming gangs in the UK
In recent years, there have been several reports of vulnerable young girls, especially minors, being exploited by grooming gangs across the country. In October last year, it was reported that Omar, Khalid, Jameel and 21 others were charged with raping a minor girl for four years in Bradford. These grooming gangs typically consist of Pakistani Muslim men, the reason why the mainstream media and even the authorities try to keep them hushed up. An independent inquiry in the matter revealed due to political unease, these cases were ignored by the authorities.
Besides the child sex abuse, the case also pertains to Grooming Jihad, a global issue that has become particularly stark in the UK, where Islamists prey on young girls and women, exploit their vulnerability and use rape as an instrument to inflict punishment.
In 2020, the police charged 32 men for over 150 sexual offences against eight underage teenage girls in West Yorkshire, United Kingdom.
The crimes were committed between 1999 and 2012 against the victims, who were aged between 13-16 years in the Kirklees, Bradford and Wakefield areas. Reportedly, several such victims were subjected to heinous crimes even after they turned adults.
Nearly 19,000 children were sexually abused in England in 2018-2019
According to the official figures, it is estimated that nearly 19,000 minors in England were sexually groomed in England in the last year, reported Dailymail. The local authorities in England identified around 18,700 suspected victims in 2018-19, up from 3,300 five years ago. The latest figures showed a sharp increase in the number of child grooming victims over the last five years.
The highest rates of child grooming victims in Britain were reported in areas including Birmingham, Lancashire and Bradford. One of the most horrific cases was of Charlene Downes who disappeared from Lancashire. She was feared to be groomed by Muslim gangs and murdered. Her body was allegedly minced into pieces and served as kebabs to customers at a takeaway restaurant in the area.
