Rotherham child rape gangs: At least 1400 victims

[Smokeandsteam]

Just heard this and find it deplorable, disgraceful and disappointing.
Sarah Champion has expressed her views so she will be under the spotlight again.

This is what the Jay report said about senior council officers. That none of them will now face charges is the clearest sign yet of an establishment cover up operation with police, senior council staff, 'community leaders' and others engaged in mutual arse covering.

It's fucking sickening.

"In the early years there seems to have been a prevalent denial of the existence of child sexual exploitation in the Borough, let alone its increasing incidence and dangers.

By 2005, it is hard to believe that any senior officers or members from the Leader and the Chief Executive downwards, were not aware of the issue. Most members showed little obvious leadership or interest in CSE for much of the period under review apart from their continued support for Risky Business. The possible reasons for this are not clear but may include denial that this could occur in Rotherham, concern that the ethnic element could damage community cohesion, worry about reputational risk to the Borough if the issue was brought fully into the public domain, and the belief that if that occurred, it might compromise police operations.

For much of the time, senior officers did little to keep members fully informed of the scale and seriousness of the problem, on occasion telling members they believed it was exaggerated. In the early years a small group of frontline professionals from the Council, the Police and Health worked together on CSE, both on individual cases and on issues such as multi-agency procedures. They alerted senior staff to the scale of the abuse but were met with disbelief and left with little management support for the good work they were trying to do. There are reports that senior staff conveyed that sexual exploitation and the ethnicity of perpetrators should be played down. This seemed to be reinforced by the Police. The source of this attitude cannot easily be identified. Concern about the resources CSE could consume; greater priority given to the protection of younger children; professional jealousies, and personal attitudes of some Council staff and the Police towards the girls involved have all been cited as reasons for the failure to address the seriousness and scale of the problem.

The prevailing culture at the most senior level of the Council, until 2009, as described by several people, was bullying and 'macho', and not an appropriate climate in which to discuss the rape and sexual exploitation of young people. From late 2009, the Chief Executive and the Lead Member took a strong personal interest in tackling child sexual exploitation."

 

[Sprocket.]

The senior council officers concerns about damaging the Borough reputation would be a lot less than the debacle we see now.
The victims will never get closure.

 

[belboid]

Jesus

Its author Mark Greenburgh said it was "more cock-up than conspiracy".

Well, that's a well thought out phrase.

 

[existentialist]

The senior council officers concerns about damaging the Borough reputation would be a lot less than the debacle we see now.
The victims will never get closure.

This exactly mirrors my own experience of working in an LA. The first question that seems to arise when a child protection issue emerges is "will this make us look bad?", and it's arse-covering all the way down after that.

 

[campanula]

This exactly mirrors my own experience of working in an LA. The first question that seems to arise when a child protection issue emerges is "will this make us look bad?", and it's arse-covering all the way down after that.

Indeed, my daughter has walked from children's services after yet another manager refused to back her 'rattling cages for the sake of it'. Social work is in utter crisis. Committed, compassionate, political - 2 year burnout is almost inevitable for anyone who doesn't hide behind a wall of procedural (complacent) practice. Desperate times.

 

[likesfish]

14000 victims and the authorities knew and did nothing
Rotherham town hall should be a burnt husk
The labour party in the city should be an unpleasant memory

 

[existentialist]

14000 victims and the authorities knew and did nothing
Rotherham town hall should be a burnt husk
The labour party in the city should be an unpleasant memory

I wouldn't be too tempted to politicise this - local government of every political stripe is capable of this shit. It's a systemic problem.

 

[likesfish]

Sorry I meant the local council bigwigs who seemed to be establishment
in the city not like anyone was going to vote tory were they?
Safe seats mean rulers grow complacent and corrupt

 

[not-bono-ever]

Operation Sanctuary: Sex ring groomer sentencing continues - BBC News

The Newcastle lot are getting proper time for this - up to 20 years

 

[Smokeandsteam]

A 40 year period of abuse. Social workers, police and others turned a blind eye to what was happening all around them.

UK's 'worst ever' child grooming scandal with 100s of girls sold for sex exposed

 

[SpookyFrank]

A 40 year period of abuse. Social workers, police and others turned a blind eye to what was happening all around them.

UK's 'worst ever' child grooming scandal with 100s of girls sold for sex exposed

It's hard not to mentally change 'worst ever' to 'worst we know about so far'

 

[likesfish]

along with the rapists the people who knew and did nothing should be in jail or in a kinder more gentle world hanging from street lamps

 

[Raheem]

along with the rapists the people who knew and did nothing should be in jail or in a kinder more gentle world hanging from street lamps

Think about this a little bit, though.

I knew about this type of grooming in a Manchester satellite town (although not one that has been big news since). Basically there was a small gang of middle-aged men preying on girls from a kids' home. I was in a very minor position of influence (as a community worker) and spoke to a local police inspector. I was told that there was nothing they could do unless I could provide evidence of a crime, and that children had a right to associate with anyone they wanted to, which the police had to respect (!). I mentioned this conversation to three or four councilors and probably a few people working in the voluntary sector. So, I didn't do nothing, but I've regularly thought about whether I should have done more.

But the thing is, i didn't find out about it by happening upon it. People living near the kids' home talked to me about it, which is why I approached the police. And, from talking to the police, I know that staff in the kids home knew about it.

So either there's quite a few people in that community, plus me, that need sending to jail and/or hanging from a street lamp, or else it's a little bit more complicated than that.

 

[8ball]

Well, that's a well thought out phrase.

Seems like it's true tbf.

 

[twentythreedom]

Wrong thread

 

[Smokeandsteam]

So either there's quite a few people in that community, plus me, that need sending to jail and/or hanging from a street lamp, or else it's a little bit more complicated than that.

In the Telford case what is remarkable is a) the timescale - this was going on for 40 years and b) the number of warnings, tip offs and the huge amount of potentially evidential material that was deliberately set aside for fear of being accused of being racist, because the cops decided that the girls being raped, killed etc were ’prostitutes’ and because of the social class of the victims.

What’s also remarkable is that the left - normally so vocal on social media - have had precisely nothing to say about Telford or the issues it raises

 

[likesfish]

Think about this a little bit, though.


So either there's quite a few people in that community, plus me, that need sending to jail and/or hanging from a street lamp, or else it's a little bit more complicated than that.

but the police council leadership knew and DID FUCKING NOTHING police dont have to respect the right of teenagers to hang out with NONCES you can turn up at the rapists home and enquire loudly why is a middle-aged bloke hanging out with vulnerable teenagers etc you have options as a police inspector park a van outside where the party takes place

 

[not-bono-ever]

Its sickening. Nothing to add apart from the usual- I cannot get my head around people who do this - especially groups of men.

 

[Orang Utan]

Is it thought that this sort of thing goes on everywhere, or is it only in certain places?
I suspect it's the former.

 

[not-bono-ever]

Its not new- My mother was working on a couple of taxi driver based sex abuse rings in the 80/90s when she was in social services - not Asian, but many of the boxes on the recent ones were ticked from what I remember.

 

[Pickman's model]

In the Telford case what is remarkable is a) the timescale - this was going on for 40 years and b) the number of warnings, tip offs and the huge amount of potentially evidential material that was deliberately set aside for fear of being accused of being racist, because the cops decided that the girls being raped, killed etc were ’prostitutes’ and because of the social class of the victims.

What’s also remarkable is that the left - normally so vocal on social media - have had precisely nothing to say about Telford or the issues it raises

never mind the auld chant that police protect the fascists, police protect the nonces.

in this instance the claim is because of fears of being called racist. like the police were ever fussed about that when they killed e.g. mark duggan, sean rigg, smiley culture etc. in the case of other nonces like savile, like cyril smith, the police come out with other reasons. wherever the police find an excuse not to act, they act effectually in favour of the abuser.

 

[Smokeandsteam]

but the police council leadership knew and DID FUCKING NOTHING police dont have to respect the right of teenagers to hang out with NONCES you can turn up at the rapists home and enquire loudly why is a middle-aged bloke hanging out with vulnerable teenagers etc you have options as a police inspector park a van outside where the party takes place

Exactly. According to the report the police had ample evidence and opportunity to charge those involved.

That they chose not to speaks volumes about a) how they perceive vulnerable girls; b) how your social class defines your treatment under the law and c) that despite protestations to the contrary those charged with protecting childen have systematically failed to do so often for political reasons.

 

[not-bono-ever]

the front line of child protection are always hamstrung by the upper levels closing ranks - of course, the front line will get the shit for this political gerrymandering. as usual

 

[Orang Utan]

Do Rotherham still have a permanent ad for social workers in the Guardian's job pages? Nobody wants the job

 

[SpookyFrank]

along with the rapists the people who knew and did nothing should be in jail or in a kinder more gentle world hanging from street lamps

Last time I was in Telford it was because Britain First were in town to exploit the recent convictions of two muslim men for child sexual abuse. I'm sure plenty in the BF crowd would have agreed with you about hanging folk up from lampposts, although they might have had a different set of criteria for choosing who gets the noose.

I understand the anger, I just don't think it will help victims nor prevent future atrocities. The common denominator here is vulnerable young people, kids society has no apparent interest in protecting or including. I work with kids and I know how many reams of safeguarding policy have been written and put up on staffroom walls, but that's all for naught if there are so many kids who aren't in contact with or have no trust in the people who read those documents. They also need to be backed up with proper funding and specialist training. Teachers, social workers, GPs are all being expected to do far too much as it is. It's not a surprise that some signs are missed, or that some kids have nobody they can trust.

I've not mentioned the police, because nobody in their right minds would take something like this to the police. They cannot be the first and last port of call for victims of child abuse.

 

[Smokeandsteam]

Last time I was in Telford it was because Britain First were in town to exploit the recent convictions of two muslim men for child sexual abuse. I'm sure plenty in the BF crowd would have agreed with you about hanging folk up from lampposts, although they might have had a different set of criteria for choosing who gets the noose.

On social media the right wing are all over this. The left are absolutely silent.

Of course, the right want to reduce the debate to a binary one on race and deliberately ignore the class and even the institutional questions raised. But the left, where it has anything to say, wants to pretend that race is not an important factor.

This allows the right to contrast the left's hypocrisy, where sexual harassment/assault/rape/power misuse becomes a massive issue where it is done to and by the white middle class but when the victims are poor and the perps often Asian a matter of no interest.

 

[SpookyFrank]

On social media the right wing are all over this. The left are absolutely silent.

Of course, the right want to reduce the debate to a binary one on race and deliberately ignore the class and even the institutional questions raised. But the left, where it has anything to say, wants to pretend that race is not an important factor.

This allows the right to contrast the left's hypocrisy, where sexual harassment/assault/rape/power misuse becomes a massive issue where it is done to and by the white middle class but when the victims are poor and the perps often Asian a matter of no interest.

The key point for me is that if there's an issue specific to muslim communities then attacking and alienating British muslims in general is not going to help resolve it, most likely the opposite would happen. And there needs to be recognition that while race may be a factor in some cases, when you've got nonces in positions of great power at the heart of white society it's clearly not the only one. The far right are easily thwarted on this issue, particularly Britain First who apprently didn't notice or care that one of their own leading lights was a paedophile.

 

[SpookyFrank]

never mind the auld chant that police protect the fascists, police protect the nonces.

in this instance the claim is because of fears of being called racist. like the police were ever fussed about that when they killed e.g. mark duggan, sean rigg, smiley culture etc. in the case of other nonces like savile, like cyril smith, the police come out with other reasons. wherever the police find an excuse not to act, they act effectually in favour of the abuser.

Telford police killed Dalian Atkinson too lest we forget.

 

[dessiato]

Its sickening. Nothing to add apart from the usual- I cannot get my head around people who do this - especially groups of men.

How on earth could anyone think that sex with a child is acceptable? I thought what if the child was precocious? But then there's that word again, child. It just keeps cropping up, and I can't think how anyone could avoid it. I work with teens, and there is no way that anyone of them is mature enough to take a decision to do what these were forced into doing. So how do these men justify the awful things they did to these kids? I strongly doubt that even my adults, the ones in their 30s and older, could willingly take the decision to do as these kids were forced to do.

I really can't get my head round any even a half decent person doing as these perverts have to children.

 

[spanglechick]

The key point for me is that if there's an issue specific to muslim communities then attacking and alienating British muslims in general is not going to help resolve it, most likely the opposite would happen. And there needs to be recognition that while race may be a factor in some cases, when you've got nonces in positions of great power at the heart of white society it's clearly not the only one. The far right are easily thwarted on this issue, particularly Britain First who apprently didn't notice or care that one of their own leading lights was a paedophile.

It's only this variation of child sexual exploitation rings that is specific to Muslim communities.

Groups of men trafficking, raping and abusing girls has a rich history in white Britain, and our current CSE emergency in London is predominantly within black drug dealing gangs.


This is what patriarchy gives us. For as long has there has been patriarchy and in pretty much every culture in the world.