Unearthing the facts surrounding child sexual exploitation

Sue Berelowitz, deputy children's commissioner, is reported as saying to MPs 'there was not a town, village or hamlet in which children are not being sexually exploited' and that she has 'hard evidence' of this.

I don't want to minimise the problem, which is, I am sure, both a major issue in some areas and some communities. But there is a major disconnect between my experiences as a citizen, as a parent and as a children's services professional, and what seem to be over-excited and over-blown claims.

Now, I might be wrong, and Sue Berelowitz might have uncovered hard evidence of 'very sadistic... violent... and ugly' behaviours and I look forward to early references to the police and the CPS. But it does no-one any good, least of all the children concerned, to make claims that cannot be substantiated.

If Sue Berelowitz says that information was only given to her in confidence, and she cannot therefore pass it on, then that just does not wash. Information about a crime - and that is what we are talking about - must be passed to the police promptly, even if given in confidence.