The Government needs to get a grip of the national grooming gang inquiry
The Home Office is rightly coming in for criticism over its handling of the national grooming gangs inquiry. Not one but two survivors of the child sexual abuse quitting their roles in the probe suggests there’s a real problem.
More worryingly, it suggests that the Government is not willing to put those that are most important in this inquiry at the heart of discussions.
Fiona Goddard and Ellie-Ann Reynolds resigned from the inquiry’s victims and survivors liaison panel earlier this week, levelling heavy criticism at the Home Office’s handling of the issue.
Ms Goddard said the process so far had involved “secretive conduct” with instances of “condescending and controlling language” used towards survivors.
While Ms Reynolds accused the Home Office of holding meetings without telling survivors and making “decisions we couldn’t question”.
As this newspaper has repeatedly said, the voices of the victims need to be at the heart of any inquiry. By not listening to them, the Government is failing them.
Ms Reynolds said the “turning point” for her was “the push to change the remit, to widen it in ways that downplay the racial and religious motivations behind our abuse”.
Any new inquiry must not fall into the trap of failing to look at the racial and religious motivations behind the abuse. It was a fear amongst authorities of being labelled racist that led to this scandal in the first place.
Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick is right to say that the resignations “cast a real shadow over the Government’s efforts” to set up the inquiry and that they need to get a grip on things.
For the sake of the victims the Government must put their concerns at the heart of the inquiry.