Exclusive:Rotherham grooming victim says new inquiry must probe system which allowed gangs to operate

A victim who was sexually abused in Rotherham from the age of 11 has said any new inquiry must investigate the system which allowed grooming gangs to operate with impunity.

The woman, who is now in her 20s, told The Yorkshire Post she felt “treated like a criminal” when she tried to report her abuse to police and council officers.

She said any new investigation into the issue of child sexual abuse had to be wide-reaching and on the “bigger picture” which allowed the abusers to operate.

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“The debate been focused a lot on the criminals that committed these crimes, the men that raped these girls and the men that groomed these girls,” she said.

Victim sexually abused in Rotherham at age of 11 said new inquiry must investigate the systemVictim sexually abused in Rotherham at age of 11 said new inquiry must investigate the system
Victim sexually abused in Rotherham at age of 11 said new inquiry must investigate the system

“When, in actual fact, there was a much bigger picture.

“This wasn’t just men raping and grooming these girls, it was men being allowed to rape and groom these girls.”

The woman said the abuse “massively affected me”, adding: “It’s affected my mental health from when I was young.

“It’s affected my relationships with people, not just intimate relationships, but relationships with friends and family.

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“The love and care that I should have got, the safety that I should have got … that had a massive impact on me, I was treated more like a criminal.”

In 2014, the Jay Report into grooming gangs in Rotherham found at least 1,400 children were sexually abused between 1997 and 2013, largely by British-Pakistani men.

The debate on child sexual abuse hit headlines again at the start of the new year, after Elon Musk began demanding a national inquiry on social media.

On Thursday, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper unveiled a £10m plan to tackle grooming gangs, including a three-month “rapid audit” of the current situation across the country and “victim-centred, locally-led inquiries” in five areas.

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The audit will be led by Baroness Louise Casey, who previously chaired an inquiry into children’s services at Rotherham Council, which found a culture of "bullying, sexism ... and misplaced 'political correctness'".

This mirrored calls earlier in the week from Rotherham MP Sarah Champion, who said she was relaying feedback from victims, survivors and front-line professionals.

“It’s very clear there’s a deep level of mistrust of those in authority when it comes to grooming gangs and child abuse across the board,” she said.

“It must have that mandating power from the Government, but be independently-led locally with survivors at their very heart.”

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Rotherham whistleblower Jayne Senior told The Yorkshire Post any inquiry must be about “the towns that this is happening in, as I believe it’s happening in every town, and the senior people that covered it up”.

Nicola Curley, strategic director for children and young people’s Services at Rotherham Council, said the local authority would “never be complacent”.

She explained: “The failings at that time in Rotherham in relation to child protection were wholly unacceptable and the council and partners continue to do all that we can to support the victims of those horrific crimes.”

Det Ch Insp Scott Harrison, of South Yorkshire Police, said: “The force has publicly recognised its past failings in terms of its response to child sexual exploitation and we remain absolutely committed to safeguarding victims of exploitation in any form and conducting thorough investigations to bring the perpetrators of these crimes to justice."​​​​​​​

See pages 14 and 15

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