Grooming gangs still at large

Its happening everywhere, not just perpetrated by asian gangs. The race should irrelevant

No it isn't "happening everywhere" or at least not on the same scale, and race is relevant because the victims are targeted for their (white) race

So more ‘don’t want to upset certain men’ rather than protect the female victims.

Bristol, Sussex, Buckinghamshire, Hampshire, Manchester, Glasgow...

Any authority who says they don't have a problem hasn't scratched the surface.

They are children first. Its happening everywhere, not just perpetrated by asian gangs. The race should irrelevant.

Its patriarchy, sexism, opportunism and sexual exploitation by pathetic men.

There is a lot of work going on by childrens charities in this area.

It has happened to Sikh girls too, as PP have said. I had a friend who was a victim. But nobody believed her and nothing was done because of the racism card that was pulled by the perpetrators. Sikh girls are also viewed as being Liberal (in the mind of some of these men that sadly translates as being fair game).

It’s awful, I really think general public believe it’s solved and the problem no longer exists.

Another 29 charged in West Yorkshire today. Not much in the national news about it, but then there never is
Must be the the 3rd of 4th gang charged in WY in the last few months

Dozens of, probably close to a hundred, gangs have been convicted. There are more cases going through crown courts at the moment.
I dont think people outside the north realise the scale of it. They think it's just one or two cases in Rotherham and Rochdale. It isn't

This organised child abuse has been known about for decades now, and reported to the authorities many times by numerous witnesses. Yet on the rare occasions when abusers are convicted, the scale of the problem is ignored. What does it take for organised crime against mainly working-class children to trigger serious government action?

Campaign for a national task force, resources, experts to root out and stop gangs targeting girls

Time for the will of the people to vote for a party that pledges to take action and funding to stop it.

This has to stop and the police aren't capable.

This has always happened, all over the country, different demographics and MOs.

I remember it when I was young (I'm over sixty); the police were pretty useless about such things then. They didn't care much about teenage girls and the girls often got into more trouble than the guy or guys exploiting them. It's a horrible business.

There is nothing new under the sun.

I didn’t mean that the police turn a blind eye because of the ethnicity of the perpetrators. In fact, I believe it suits the police to have people think that they avoid taking action out of fear of being seen as racist. I think they have other reasons for allowing these gangs to operate.

I'm just going to say yes too.

These poor, poor girls. Is there anything we can do to help them?

Are there any feminist groups in the north actively campaigning about this or supporting the victims?

I'm thinking particularly in the Greater Manchester/West and South Yorkshire areas. Anyone know?

Years ago, there was a one-column account in the local paper of a taxi-driver who was on trial for (if I remember rightly) false imprisonment.
He'd brought two in-care girls from another city to the Potteries, and lock them in a room overnight.

The judge exonerated him, stating that he was sure that the driver was acting in the girls' best interests.
I asked a local councillor if there were 'grooming' gangs locally (and I hate that term; it's abuse not haberdashery). She said she had a sort of feeling that there had been some bumf about gangs, but she wasn't absolutely sure.
Someone employed bu the local authority as a carer told me that the gangs were treated with kid gloves because they were downright dangerous.
One local councillor has Tweeted against the gangs, and it didn't end well, not least because she posted photos of Lee Rigby, too, re-Tweeted fake news,.. www.stokesentinel.co.uk/news/stoke-on-trent-news/stoke-trents-former-lord-mayor-4749587

One day, perhaps, Labour, Conservative, etc. councillors and MPs might take the problem seriously. Maybe.

GCAcademic,there was an incident in Leicester,where a group of Sikh men attacked a Pakistani owned business. It was skimmed over by the press,if I recall, but the real reason ( not reported) for the attack was because a vulnerable Sikh girl had been abused by the men who owned the business.
I agree that this exploitation had been continuing for decades. I worked in Leicester city centre in the mid to late 1980's and it was well known that certain groups were targeting white British girls.

gurufloofhorrified that this was going on as early as that, and angry for what happened to you. So of course you will keep your kids safe

Pretty sure it was going on before the 70s too. Going by the conversations I overheard, and by innate knowledge and understanding of the men involved.

As we all here know by now, women and girls do not matter.

On the bottom of the socioeconomic ladder is much better and I’ll use it in future.

gurufloof horrified that this was going on as early as that, and angry for what happened to you. So of course you will keep your kids safe.

I didn't mean to take away from the British class system, in Ireland we don't have a class system.

The police etc use the idea that they 'can't' do anything because they'll be accused of racism is an excuse and always has been.

Police in Greater Manchester were told to "go find other ethnicities" to investigate by their senior officers. Presumably an attempt to balance the books
In Rotherham whistle blowers concerns were ignored and they were sent on diversity training course.
Keighley MP Ann Cryer has repeatedly said in interviews that she was called racist by her own colleagues when she tried to raise concerns

I think police being reluctant to confront sex grooming gangs out of fear of causing offence is obviously a huge mistake.

History has taught us that men from all walks of life, faith, socioeconomic status and ethnicities participate in rape and grooming. Look at R Kelly, Prince Andrew, Jeffrey Epstein etc.

We know this.

However in England it's true that one of our largest minority groups are Asians. It does seem to be that in some cases Asian communities in England seem to remain rather insular in a way that is outstanding. From arranged marriages, teen marriages, strict adherence to religion, fgm, "honor killings" etc. It isn't racist to acknowledge that but it is racist and obviously incorrect to call all asians sexual predators.

If you come from a culture where sex before marriage renders you a used up slag (often a belief tied to religion as with evangelical Christians) then you'll view a lot of British girls who don't adhere to that belief system because we've somewhat although not totally outgrown it as used up slags. It's harmful. It hurts to think of little northern white girls being groomed by Asian men just like it hurts to think of little Asian kids being racially abused by white people for things out of their control.

Deeyah Khan is a wonderful Norwegian British Punjabi film maker who often discusses ending sexism and racism in a way that is hopeful and insightful.

Also the article linked by pp about Sikh girls being targeted is unsurprising and depressing.

The police etc use the idea that they 'can't' do anything because they'll be accused of racism is an excuse and always has been.

It's because they don't give a toss about girls. They don't view them as victims (this has come out over and over in enquiries reports etc) and they just don't see this as crime or anything.

This was happening in West Yorkshire in the 90s. I reported a house where young girls were being taken and it was not raided. It would take hours for the police to follow up on girls disappearances, even when car numbers were given etc

This was happening in west Yorkshire in the 70s. I know I was a victim. No one actually gave a stuff back then either. Then as generations grow and we keep our kids indoors more and helicopter parent more we are vilified for keeping our kids safe, and inside where we can see them and driving them to school etc. And governments and councils tell us we haven't to do that for (insert reason) and cse is rare and never happens and our children will be safe outside with no parents. But we know why we dont let them out of our sight, especially the girls.

It's not just white girls. These gangs have also been abusing girls from the Sikh community:

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/sikh-girls-abused-grooming-gangs-15492360.amp