1997 - 2013

This independent Inquiry was commissioned by Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council in October 2013. Its remit, covering the periods of 1997- 2009 and 2009 – 2013, is appended. The Inquiry applied the definition of child sexual exploitation which is used in Government guidance and is set out in Appendix 4, paragraph 48 of this report. The methodology included reading a wide range of minutes, reports and case files. Over a hundred people were interviewed, either individually or in groups. The cut-off point for file reading was September 2013, but any evidence available up till June 2014 was included in the report. Excerpt from the executive summary: The conservative estimate is that approximately 1400 children were sexually exploited over the full Inquiry period, from 1997 to 2013. Over the first twelve years covered by this Inquiry, the collective failures of political and officer leadership were blatant. From the beginning, there was growing evidence that child sexual exploitation was a serious problem in Rotherham. This came from those working in residential care and from youth workers who knew the young people well. Within social care, the scale and seriousness of the problem was underplayed by senior managers. At an operational level, the Police gave no priority to CSE, regarding many child victims with contempt and failing to act on their abuse as a crime. Further stark evidence came in 2002, 2003 and 2006 with three reports known to the Police and the Council, which could not have been clearer in their description of the situation in Rotherham. The first of these reports was effectively suppressed because some senior officers disbelieved the data it contained. This had led to suggestions of cover-up. The other two reports set out the links between child sexual exploitation and drugs, guns and criminality in the Borough. These reports were ignored and no action was taken to deal with the issues that were identified in them. By far the majority of perpetrators were described as ‘Asian’ by victims, yet throughout the entire period, councillors did not engage directly with the Pakistani-heritage community to discuss how best they could jointly address the issue. Some councillors seemed to think it was a one-off problem, which they hoped would go away. Several staff described their nervousness about identifying the ethnic origins of perpetrators for fear of being thought racist; others remembered clear direction from their managers not to do so.

 

Attachment Size
English -2.05 MB 2.05 MB
Publication type
Total pages
159
Countries this relates to
Language of materials

Childhub

You might like..

0
174
The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) is a loose association of nine states formed after the break-up of the Soviet Union in 1991. The resulting political, economic and social upheaval led to progress in some areas, such as poverty reduction…
0
23
The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) is a loose association of nine states formed after the break-up of the Soviet Union in 1991. The resulting political, economic and social upheaval led to progress in some areas, such as poverty reduction…
0
8
  This jointly chaired inquiry by Fiona MacTaggart and Baronness Butler-Sloss (written by Christine Beddoe) examines the actions of the British government towards protecting unaccompanied refugee children. The UK considers itself to be a…
0
2152
The commercial sexual exploitation of children is a problem across all Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries, facilitated by poverty, corruption, migration and lack of education in the region. Children in this region are also vulnerable…
0
89
This report has been prepared to review the legislative framework established to address child sexual exploitation. While it focuses largely on progress since Stockholm, it necessarily reflects on the importance of the 1989 United Nations…
no
0
29
A new report made after the investigation in Great Britain revealed a large number of cases of sexual violence against children, related to religions. This independent investigation found that some religious communities did not even have a child…
0
56
  The new report by the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA), published at the start of March, has found that institutions often prioritise their reputation over the protection of children from sexual abuse. The inquiry panel…
0
10
This briefing outlines the elements of an effective local response to child sexual exploitation. It suggests how local authorities and other stakeholders can tackle this abuse, and the advantages of partnership working and information sharing.…
0
91
A pilot national survey was conducted in 2018 in Scotland, analyzing public understanding of child sexual abuse. This report is a summary of findings based on over 1000 adults who took part in the survey. The research findings offer a good starting…
0
48
Children seeking treatment and attending health institutions, to take care and recovery, but instead taking services they were subjected to sexual abuse by professionals in violation of their duty to protect their patients.  A new research…
0
35
Catholic churches in the western countries are infamous for their scandals with child sexual abuses and a new independent inquiry made for the churches in England and Wales, unfortunately, confirmed the same thing. Following the publishing of the…
0
145
This report by UNICEF and End Violence Against Children aims to support the further work of UNICEF, partner organizations, researchers, experts and policymakers in preventing and responding to sexual abuse and exploitation of children, taking into…
0
125858
Online child sexual exploitation is an issue that is becoming more prevalent across the whole world. Therefore, a wide-ranging response is needed to address it. To facilitate this, ECPAT recognizes that an understanding of the different forms of…
0
25
The Welsh Government issued a Consultation document on the topic of safeguarling children from sexual exploitation. The Consultation document is related to the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014, in particular part 7 of the ‘…
0
112
This report by UNICEF and End Violence Against Children aims to support the further work of UNICEF, partner organizations, researchers, experts, and policymakers in preventing and responding to sexual abuse and exploitation of children, taking into…