Rotherham child abuse scandal: 1,400 children exploited, report finds

[LeftishBrit]

At least 1,400 children were subjected to appalling sexual exploitation in Rotherham between 1997 and 2013, a report has found.

Children as young as 11 were raped by multiple perpetrators, abducted, trafficked to other cities in England, beaten and intimidated, it said....

Council leader Roger Stone said he would step down with immediate effect.....


The inquiry team found examples of "children who had been doused in petrol and threatened with being set alight, threatened with guns, made to witness brutally violent rapes and threatened they would be next if they told anyone".


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-28939089

[hollysmom]

1. where were the parents, so many questions

was this like a county home or something for "wayward" kids or were these regular kids in a regular town? At which point you have to say - where were the parents?

[LeftishBrit]

10. In a similar, but smaller-scale, abuse scandal in Oxford where I live...

most of the victims were in council care. I don't think all the details of the Rotherham victims are yet known; but it is thought that most were from very poor backgrounds, and possibly with other problems - which may explain why the police and officials did not take the victims seriously enough. Police and officialdom often take a very dismissive attitude to young people from the so-called 'underclass'. E.g. in one case in Rotherham, two young girls were found by the police in the company of somewhat older men who, as it now appears, were grooming them. The police ignored the men but arrested the girls for under-age drinking.

[TexasMommaWithAHat]

18. Have been listening to BBC Radio

and the stories are shocking. One mother knew this was going on, but the whole family was terrorized and threatened if the girl didn't cooperate. And since the authorities did nothing, the terror and threats continued. Absolutely shocking.

[840high]

2. Terrible.

[T_i_B]

3. Shocking stuff

Some thoughts

1) The Police & Crime Comissioner for South Yorkshire, Shaun Wright, was responsible for children's services at Rotherham Council from 2005 to 2010. His position is looking untenable.

2) Far right knuckledraggers are queueing up to make the Pakistani community scapegoats for this, but abuse on this scale can't happen without involvement from people outside that community.

3) I would not be surprised if this isn't just going on in Rotherham. For starters, were victims in Rotherham shipped elsewhere for others to abuse?

4) I have been rude about Rotherham Labour party on here before, and the fact that Rotherham politics is so utterly dominated by 1 party only makes those in power more able to get away with cocking things up. If the main opposition flagging up this issue is groups such as UKIP, who have no real regard for Rotherham's best interests then that doesn't make things any better either.

[non sociopath skin]

4. I have identified time this week to do some serious reading about this.

The headlines suggest that it underlines many things which are broken in our society at the moment, not least that it currently lacks the will, the inclination - and the empathy - to protect the weakest ansd most powerless in society, for me the first hallmark of a civilised state.

And yes, TIB, the fact that that least empathic of parties, UKIP, is positioned to make hay out of this demonstrates the need for the Left to get its act together with no prevarication.

The Skin

[T_i_B]

5. The far right is loving this

Last edited Wed Aug 27, 2014, 08:19 AM - Edit history (1)

As it give them plenty of their favourite scapegoats to demonise, from the Labour Party to Muslims to Pakistanis to "political correctness" in general.

However, as can be seen by what happened when an English Democrat became Mayor of Doncaster, the far right are not very much use when it comes to providing any solutions to problems in Child Protection Services.

Also, here's 2 threads about Rotherham from 2 years ago which may be of some relevance here.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10882533
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10882731

[non sociopath skin]

6. The Far Right - of which UKIP is typical ...

... is characteristically full of eccentrics, loners, misanthropes, misfits, obsessives, ne'er-do-wells and the kind of people whom most of us would feel uncomfortable living next door to.

To feel that anyone vulnerable would be "safer in their hands" is a pretty incredible leap of faith!

The Skin

[T_i_B]

7. Police commissioner quits Labour (but doesn't resign as PCC)

Further to my earlier point about Shaun Wright, he's jumped from Labour before he was pushed, but he is still refusing to resign as PCC, even though his position is now untenable.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-28962144

If he does go, it will trigger a by-election for South Yorkshire PCC. That is likely be an acrimonious contest, although it would still be hard to get people to take much interest. What's worse is that Labour's main challengers in PCC elections may well be the English Democrats, who are even more of a "BNP in suits" bunch then UKIP (Although the UKIP candidate for South Yorkshire PCC in 2012 is now MEP for the North East http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Arnott)

[non sociopath skin]

8. The odds are that, if he goes, his replacement will be a rightwinger ...

... as the Right will be "full of passionate intensity" and the press will drive the issue.

The Skin

[T_i_B]

9. Results from last time

As you would expect for South Yorkshire, Labour won easily, and may well be expected to win again with a different candidate, even after all that's happened.

The English Democrats finished second with a platform for PCC elections that's pretty dreadful. The election of one of them is the nightmare scenario.

Candidate Party 1st pref votes %
Shaun Wright Labour 74,615 51.35
David Stewart Allen English Democrat 22,608 15.56
Nigel Stuart Bonson Conservatives 21,075 14.51
Jonathan William Arnott UKIP 16,773 11.54
Robert Eric Teal Liberal Democrat 10,223 7.04

http://www.local.gov.uk/pcc-elections/-/journal_content/56/10180/3789082/ARTICLE#sthash.4APEfGnC.dpuf

[muriel_volestrangler]

11. Blog on manning a polling station for the West Midlands PCC by-election last week

which flew under everyone's radar, I think - turnout 10.4%: http://www.lrb.co.uk/blog/2014/08/27/josh-allen/at-the-polling-station/

Another one that might come up:

Bedfordshire’s police and crime commissioner Olly Martins has been suspended from the Labour Party and may face criminal charges after an Independent Police Complaints Commission investigation concluded yesterday.

The IPCC had been carrying out an investigation into Mr Martins over the leak of secret information concerning the death of Leon Briggs, and evidence has now been passed onto the Crown Prosecution Service.

The IPCC released a statement which said: “The Independent Police Complaints Commission has completed its investigation into the police and crime commissioner for Bedfordshire, Olly Martins, and has passed its report to the Crown Prosecution Service.

“The CPS will determine whether there is evidence to warrant criminal charges.”

http://www.thecomet.net/news/bedfordshire_pcc_olly_martins_suspended_from_labour_party_and_may_face_criminal_charges_1_3747832

[T_i_B]

12. Which brings us to another issue with PCC's

Which is how accountable are they outside of election time?

Members of police authorities could be removed from their position if they weren't doing it well, because many of them were appointed directly by councils within that police force’s area. By contrast, although PCCs are elected, no one has the power to remove them from their office, short of them committing a crime. The person whose job is supposedly to make the police accountable is so unaccountable themselves, they can’t be removed from their office, unlike just about every other executive office in British politics.

And another note, we are now seeing calls for the government to take over the running of South Yorkshire Police, and I would imagine that Rotherham Social Services could suffer the same fate as social services in Doncaster as a result of all this.

http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/aug/28/rotherham-abuse-south-yorkshire-police-victims-john-mann-shaun-wright

[T_i_B]

15. Keith Vaz seeks law to sack South Yorkshire PCC Shaun Wright

Another case for introducing a right to recall elected representatives?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-29135245

Home Affairs Select Committee chairman Keith Vaz said he would ask the home secretary about the possibility of legislation to remove South Yorkshire's police and crime commissioner.

Shaun Wright has been urged to resign since the publication of a report which found at least 1,400 children were abused in Rotherham. Mr Wright said he was not aware of the scale of the problem while a Labour councillor in the town.

"We don't believe you command the confidence of the public. For your own sense of honour, you should go," Vaz said. "I will be writing to the Home Secretary to see if there's the possibility of emergency legislation... We find your evidence today entirely unconvincing."

One member of the committee, Labour MP Paul Flynn, said: "You are the least credible witness I have ever come across. I don't believe what you are saying."

[muriel_volestrangler]

16. And he's finally resigned

PCC Shaun Wright resigns over Rotherham child abuse scandal

South Yorkshire's Police and Crime Commissioner Shaun Wright has resigned over the Rotherham child abuse scandal.
...
In a statement, he said: "My role as South Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner has clearly become prominent in terms of public opinion and media coverage following the publication of Professor Alexis Jay's report.

"This is detracting from the important issue, which should be everybody's focus - the 1400 victims outlined in the report - and in providing support to victims and bringing to justice the criminals responsible for the atrocious crimes committed against them.

"With this in mind, I feel that it is now right, to step down... for the sake of those victims, for the sake of the public of South Yorkshire and to ensure that the important issues outlined in the report about tackling child sexual exploitation can be discussed and considered in full and without distraction."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-29220535

No-one had any confidence at all in him. MPs pretty much insulted him to his face, and told him they were looking at changing the law to get rid of him, and that public meeting showed the public's opinion ranged from complete distrust to absolute hatred.

[non sociopath skin]

17. Not before bloody time.

The Skin

[ChazII]

13. The Shia Chat site

http://www.shiachat.com/forum/topic/235024964-child-abuse-in-the-uk/

had an interesting discussion on this topic.

Absolutely, in fact its worse when the girl is virgin; because the haya' (modesty/shyness) is naturally more abundant in a virgin girl than every male out there (a superior quality of females spoken of in hadiths!); losing virginity via rape will take away some of that haya', and the girl is inevitably seen as less marriage material. I'll say it again, in none of this is there any sin laid on the doorstep of the victim, most people operating within this honor-shame paradigm recognise this. Its just feelings of humiliation and embarrassment that override their disgust towards the rapist.

Comments 8 through 25 are informative.

[T_i_B]

14. As some Taxi firms have been heavily implicated in this

Here is an article about the former deputy leader of Rotherham Council and leader of Rotherham taxi drivers association. I have a feeling there are more revelations to come with this story.

http://rotherhampolitics.wordpress.com/2014/08/29/akhtara-spider-at-the-centre-of-the-taxi-trade-web/

[T_i_B]

19. Beyond Rotherham: scale of child sex exploitation

http://www.channel4.com/news/beyond-rotherham-scale-of-child-sex-exploitation-across-uk

[T_i_B]

20. Rotherham Council 'not fit for purpose' over child abuse failings

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-31130750

Rotherham Council is "not fit for purpose", an investigation into the local authority at the centre of the child abuse scandal has found.

Louise Casey's report found a culture of bullying, sexism, suppression and misplaced "political correctness" at the council. It also has a "deep-rooted" culture of cover-ups and silencing whistleblowers, she added.

Ms Casey said the child sexual exploitation (CSE) team was poorly directed, suffered from excessive case loads, and did not share information between agencies.

According to the report child abusers in Rotherham are identified but "little or no action is taken to stop or even disrupt their activities". The council has an "excessive deference" to South Yorkshire Police, something which prevented the use of council powers to tackle perpetrators, and a lack of scrutiny over the police's actions.

[non sociopath skin]

21. Deeply worrying

There are serious lessons to be learned here. But will people listen?

The Skin

[T_i_B]

22. Indeed

The entire cabinet of Rotherham council has resigned, to be replaced by a team of five commissioners, including an overall lead and one tasked specifically with looking at children's services.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-31130750

A very undemocratic development, but not an entirely surprising one given what's happened.

Also, what about sorting out the Police force in this case?

http://www.thestar.co.uk/news/crime/police-officer-and-councillors-abused-girls-in-rotherham-new-claims-today-1-7088077

[niyad]

23. how utterly horrible

[Bad Dog]

24. Still no arrests over top ranking paedophile rings dating back to the 60s.

Jimmy Savile got away with it, and despite whispers about the late C Smith and E Heath nobody in real power is looking over their shoulders.

(And I don't include the rag tag bunch of DJs and TV presenters.)

Don't get me wrong, these people should be locked up, but I get the feeling that if they were on 1st name terms with the Royal family they'd still be walking the streets.

And Simon Danczuk's conduct has helped those in power look the other way.

[T_i_B]

25. We're starting to see arrests in Rotherham

http://www.rotherhamadvertiser.co.uk/news/98880/three-more-arrests-in-rotherham-child-sex-abuse-probe.aspx

As to Danczuk, he's MP for Rochdale, which has also suffered from more than it's fair share of child sex abuse scandals.