Over a decade ago I wrote;
“Anyone who shies away from accepting that in Rotherham, Oxford, Rochdale and here in Oldham – and that this particular form of abuse is predominately Pakistani men targeting white girls – is not helping the victims, and nor is it helping the Asian community at large.
“Our own experience is that when we do see this kind of crime brought in front of the court, very shortly afterwards far right groups will jump on it to try and tar a whole community. [for instance Britain First, English Defence League, North West Infidels and others]
“That, however, isn’t an excuse not to do something – it’s actually even more of a reason to ensure that we act.
“If we don’t tackle wrongdoing we give more oxygen to those who seek to gain politically by accusing those in authority of cover-ups and failures. You can’t beat that world view with more cover ups. You beat it with honesty and by acting responsibly.”
My view hasn’t changed in fact it has become more resolute, not because of the focus on this issue now, but because victims and survivors have the right to secure the justice too often denied to them, and no offender should feel secure that the passage of time will mean they do not have to face justice.
Abuse takes place in every community and by all types of offenders. Victims will be sought out by vile abusers wherever they are, in any setting, and increasingly online as any vulnerability is exploited. But it benefits no one not to acknowledge and raise awareness of this particular pattern of abuse. By raising awareness we give confidence to victims to come forward and hopefully reduce future harm because the pattern of grooming is better understood and guarded against. It was this very reason such an effort was made, including by holding plays in schools and public awareness campaigns all those years ago.
𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁
One benefit of being on the backbenches is the ability to speak on a much wider range of issues in parliament. And so today I asked Safeguarding Minister that arrangements are made to have an independent “front door” for victims and survivors into the process fully independent of councils and police forces.
Secondly I sought assurances that through the inquiry cross border offending will be pursued. It is important to recognise abusers don’t stop at council or police boundaries, and given there is clear evidence of trafficking in some cases it must be open to the team to follow all lines of inquiry wherever it leads.
Oldham Council was the first to put itself forward to undergo a local inquiry, and has been waiting alongside victims and survivors to see how it interacts with the national inquiry.
𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗺
Protecting young people requires vigilance from everyone, especially as online risks continue to grow. Safeguarding is a collective responsibility, and we all share the duty to protect children and young people from harm.
Further information, including details of support services and warning signs, can be found at www.itsnotokay.co.uk.
To see a clip of my intervention in Parliament, head to my Facebook page.
Jim McMahon OBE MP 