Child sexual exploitation victims must be heard

Education Secretary Michael Gove has since ordered the Office of the Children’s Commissioner to produce a fast-tracked report with some urgent recommendations in early June, as part of its ongoing two-year inquiry into child sexual exploitation in gangs and groups. The inquiry, led by deputy children’s commissioner Sue Berelowitz, must seize the opportunity and get to the root of this horrendous form of abuse to help identify perpetrator networks and protect potential victims. Where data points to a problem in certain ethnic groups, it cannot afford to shy away from the fact. Plenty of these gangs, like the one in Rochdale, appear to involve Muslim men of mainly Pakistani origin; others, particularly in parts of London, involve Black Caribbean men; while others elsewhere contain mainly white men. Vile male gangs will not be dealt with if we ignore the subcultures that hold them together, and what it is that makes abuse and misogyny acceptable to them.

But the main focus of the inquiry must be the victims: vulnerable girls, many of whom are in care. They are being let down badly because of a general complacency about organised sexual exploitation. It is not difficult to spot the typical warning signs of child sexual abuse – such as running away, forming relationships with older men or being under the influence of drugs and alcohol. It is a much more demanding task, however, to enter into difficult conversations with children who are at risk of, or subject to, abuse and ultimately, keep them safe. Carers in children’s homes and those who foster, as well as all other safeguarding professionals, clearly need the skills for the job. Police forces, too, need to show that they take child sexual abuse seriously, so that professionals have the confidence to work with them to weed it out.

Most crucial of all, vulnerable children must be listened to. There were 17,000 reported cases of sexual offences involving children under 16 in 2010/11 and, according to the NSPCC, a third of those sexually abused (34 per cent) did not tell anyone. Scandalously, the Crown Prosecution Service deemed four years ago that the victim who came forward in the Rochdale case “would not be viewed as a credible witness by a jury”. It seems that if you are young and highly vulnerable, no matter what the level of personal injury, your credibility is questionable. That is an outrage.

It is therefore reassuring that the children’s commissioner’s inquiry contains a “participation strategy” to ensure the voices of children are heard throughout. Their views and their experiences have to be acted upon if we are to flush out the uncomfortable truths of child sexual exploitation once and for all.

ravi.chandiramani@markallengroup.com