"In 2010, five men of
Pakistani heritage were found guilty of a series of sexual offences against girls as young as twelve."
"It conservatively estimated that 1,400 children had been sexually abused in the town between 1997 and 2013, predominantly by gangs of British-Pakistani men."
"Members of the British-Pakistani community condemned both the sexual abuse and the fact that it had been covered up for fear of "giving oxygen" to racism."
"In September 2012, investigations by
The Times based on confidential police and social services documents, found that abuse had been much more widespread than acknowledged.
[22][23] It uncovered systematic abuse of white girls by some
Asian men (mostly of Pakistani origin)
[24] in Rotherham for which people were not being prosecuted"
"The newspaper cited a 2010 report by the police intelligence bureau which discussed "a problem with networks of Asian offenders both locally and nationally" which was "particularly stressed in Sheffield and even more so in Rotherham, where there appears to be a significant problem with networks of Asian males exploiting young white females".
[23][26] It also referred to a document from the Rotherham Safeguarding Children Board that reported the "crimes had 'cultural characteristics...which are locally sensitive in terms of diversity'"
"
Lord Ahmed called for mosque leaders in South Yorkshire to highlight the problem of sexual abuse.
[27] He said the issue was a "new phenomenon within the Asian community" and that "it's important that the community, rather than going silent... talk about it."
[27] Muhbeen Hussain, founder of Rotherham Muslim Youth group, said all communities denounced the abuse and that "we need Muslim leaders to go out there and condemn this and make it clear it's wrong."
[27] The chairman of the Pakistan and Muslim Centre in Sheffield, Mohammed Ali said the South Yorkshire mosques, the imams and the committee members had discussed this situation that "needs to be tackled."
[27]
In November 2012, Rotherham Council identified 58 possible victims of sexual abuse.
[28] The director of Children and Young People's Services attributed the rise from 50 the previous year to increased public awareness.
[28] A national report by the Office of Children's Commissioner, also published in November, found that thousands of children were sexually abused by gangs in England each year.
[28]"
"In January 2013, the head of Rotherham Council, Martin Kimber, was summoned to the select committee to explain the lack of arrests for sexual abuse, despite South Yorkshire Police saying it was conducting several investigations and the council having identified 58 young girls at risk.
[25] MP
Keith Vazquestioned why, after five Asian men were jailed in 2010, more was not being done: "In Lancashire there were 100 prosecutions the year before last, in South Yorkshire there were no prosecutions". The council apologised for the "systemic failure" that had "let down" the victims of child sexual abuse"
"Three previous inquiries—in 2002, 2003 and 2006
[29]—had presented similar findings but, according to the report, had been "effectively suppressed" because officials "did not believe the data".
[5] Dr Angie Heal, a strategic drugs analyst who had prepared the 2003 report, had noted three years after its publication—according to Professor Jay—that "the appeal of organised sexual exploitation for Asian gangs had changed. In the past, it had been for their personal gratification, whereas now it offered 'career and financial opportunities to young Asian men who got involved'."
"Because the majority of perpetrators were Asian of Pakistani heritage, several council staff described themselves as being nervous about identifying the ethnic origins of perpetrators for fear of being thought racist; others, the report noted, "remembered clear direction from their managers" not to make such identification.
[31] One
Home Office researcher, attempting to raise concerns with senior police officers in 2002 about the level of abuse, was told not to do so again, and was subsequently suspended and sidelined.
[32] The researcher told BBC
Panorama that:
... she had been accused of being insensitive when she told one official that most of the perpetrators were from Rotherham's Pakistani community. A female colleague talked to her about the incident. "She said you must never refer to that again – you must never refer to Asian men. "And her other response was to book me on a two-day ethnicity and diversity course to raise my awareness of ethnic issues."
["
"
Denis MacShane,
MP for
Rotherham between
1994 and his resignation in
2012, said in a
BBC radio interview that that no-one had come to him with child abuse allegations during that period, but conceded he should have gotten himself more involved in the issue. Admitting he had been guilty of doing too little, he said he had been aware of what he saw as the problems of
cousin marriage and the
oppression of women within sectors of the Muslim community in Britain, but "as a true
Guardian reader, and liberal leftie, I suppose I didn't want to raise that too hard. I think there was a culture of not wanting to rock the multicultural community boat if I may put it like that." However, in hindsight, he did say that "I think that I should have burrowed into [the allegations]" "
"
Simon Danczuk, Labour MP for
Rochdale where
similar cases were prosecuted, observed that "a very small minority of people in the Asian community have a very unhealthy view of women. ... It's a complex jigsaw, and ethnicity is just one of the pieces. Class is a major factor, night-time economy is a factor, in terms of this type of on-street grooming, not sexual abuse per se."
[33] Danczuk added that there was an "unhealthy brand of politics 'imported' from Pakistan" which was "partly to blame for the cover-up of mass child abuse in Rotherham". He said that "There are cultural issues around the way politics are done in the Asian community which have to change."
"Theresa May described the failures of police and council agencies to deal with child sex abuse as a complete dereliction of duty. She said that "institutionalised political correctness" had contributed to the authorities turning a blind eye to the abuse: "I am clear that cultural concerns – both the fear of being seen as racist, and the frankly disdainful attitude to some of our most vulnerable children "
Tilly was right. YOu were wrong.