Rotherham
I am still trying to take in the sheer horror of what appears to have happened at Rotherham: that so many children should have had their lives blighted by sexual abuse over such a long period and that the authorities so signally failed to protect them.
The report by Professor Alexis Jay, the former chief inspector of social work in Scotland, which suggests that at a"conservative estimate" 1,400 children were abused over a 16 year period in Rotherham is so shocking that it is difficult to find adeqaate words to describe it.
As Randeep Ramesh wrote in the Guardian here,
"The putrid mess that oozes from the 160 pages of Alexis Jay's report into child sexual exploitation in Rotherham is so thick that one gags rather than read the words."
Mark Easton of the BBC argues here that the scale of sexual abuse of children which has always gone on in this country "beggars belief" and we are ony just becoming aware of it.
I don't know whether the proportions of people being abused in this country can be quite as vast as the numbers quoted in the article.
But from recent prosecutions and the report published there is quite enough evidence to conclude that all Police forces and Local Authorities with responsibilty for children should be asking themselves
1) Could it happen here?
2) Is it happening here?
3) If the answer either of the above questions above were yes, do we have adequate measures in place to protect children?
I find it particularly depressing that, as Dan Hodges argues here, it appears that the criminals selected tehir victims on a racial basis and that fear of being falsely accused of racism may have hindered dealing with them.
It cannot be emphasised too strongly that the law applies to everyone and that child abuse is wrong and illegal whether it is perpetrated by white men, by white women, by asian men, or anyone else.
It is racist to jump to assumptions about someone's guilt or innocence without evidence because of their race. It is not racist to investigate whether there is any truth in allegations or to act on evidence regardless of the racial identity of those accused.
It also cannot be emphasised too strongly that anyone accused of child abuse must, if there is inadequate evidence to justify a prosecution, be cleared, and if there is, must be given a fair trial. Both failing to act on accurate allegations of child abuse, and spreading or acting on incorrect ones, has great potential to wreck innocent lives.
All allegations of historic or contemporary child abuse must be carefully investigated without pre-judging guilt or innocence.
The report by Professor Alexis Jay, the former chief inspector of social work in Scotland, which suggests that at a"conservative estimate" 1,400 children were abused over a 16 year period in Rotherham is so shocking that it is difficult to find adeqaate words to describe it.
As Randeep Ramesh wrote in the Guardian here,
"The putrid mess that oozes from the 160 pages of Alexis Jay's report into child sexual exploitation in Rotherham is so thick that one gags rather than read the words."
Mark Easton of the BBC argues here that the scale of sexual abuse of children which has always gone on in this country "beggars belief" and we are ony just becoming aware of it.
I don't know whether the proportions of people being abused in this country can be quite as vast as the numbers quoted in the article.
But from recent prosecutions and the report published there is quite enough evidence to conclude that all Police forces and Local Authorities with responsibilty for children should be asking themselves
1) Could it happen here?
2) Is it happening here?
3) If the answer either of the above questions above were yes, do we have adequate measures in place to protect children?
I find it particularly depressing that, as Dan Hodges argues here, it appears that the criminals selected tehir victims on a racial basis and that fear of being falsely accused of racism may have hindered dealing with them.
It cannot be emphasised too strongly that the law applies to everyone and that child abuse is wrong and illegal whether it is perpetrated by white men, by white women, by asian men, or anyone else.
It is racist to jump to assumptions about someone's guilt or innocence without evidence because of their race. It is not racist to investigate whether there is any truth in allegations or to act on evidence regardless of the racial identity of those accused.
It also cannot be emphasised too strongly that anyone accused of child abuse must, if there is inadequate evidence to justify a prosecution, be cleared, and if there is, must be given a fair trial. Both failing to act on accurate allegations of child abuse, and spreading or acting on incorrect ones, has great potential to wreck innocent lives.
All allegations of historic or contemporary child abuse must be carefully investigated without pre-judging guilt or innocence.
Comments
Unless Rotherham councillors can show that they really have changed and are taking genuine action to ensure children in their area will be properly protected in future, there is no council in the country, not even Copeland, that more deserves to be booted out of office by the electorate.
1) the existing politicians make them change, or
2) if the current politicians will not do that, the electorate replaces them with politicians who will.
I would welcome either.