Abused women and children cannot be used as pawns in power politics - Karen Ingala Smith

The Bill is here:

publications.parliament.uk/pa/bills/cbill/59-01/0151/240151.pdf

@Atissues
"And lock up any one complicit, MPs, police, councillors."

Hmmmm... to do that you would really need a law making failing to report safeguarding concerns an offense. Like the one recommended by the Jay Inquiry we already had. The recommendations that will be delayed being implemented if we do another inquiry.

Also, have you read the details of the bill that is meant to be going through parliament right now? The one that Kemi Badenoch threatened not to block if they didn't add an amendment about another inquiry. Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill 2024-25 - House of Commons Library

This bit for example:

• providing a statutory framework under which children could be deprived of their liberty in settings other than just a secure children’s home

This means that when say a 14 year old is "going out" to meet her boyfriend (read be sexually abused) she can be stopped. Because before that wasn't happening. And either because they were desperate for affection and thought their "boyfriends" cared about them, or because they were shit scared of them or a combination of those things, tweens and teenagers were just walking out of foster homes late at night and the terrible abuse you read about was happening.

But now apparently, we shouldn't make any changes until Elon Musk is happy.

Their remit is safeguarding. This is a wide and deep safeguarding failure.

She might have proofed this. This section links to the IICSA report from October 2022:

"The chair of the Jay Review of Criminally Exploited Children published in November 2023, Prof Alexis Jay..."

Her link takes you here: www.iicsa.org.uk/reports-recommendations/publications/inquiry/final-report.html not to a different repost from more than a year on.

What else is incorrect in this?

Yes their remit is something else thats quite different but extremely important also. I can understand its helpful sometimes to see connections etc, or lend support as an individual, but mission creep in organisations has caused a lot of mess in the past. Not everyone/every organisation needs to respond immediately to every issue.

We need rapists held to account, is an enquiry really the way to get this? Politicians covered up a scandal…let’s blow the lid on that. An enquiry can take 10 years…what is best for these victims? I think it’s really complicated….

There have been inquiries, there really is no great mystery about why police forces (who only a few years before spoke openly about Peter Sutcliffe moving on to "innocent" victims after a student was murdered) weren't terribly interested in investigating offences against girls they regarded as "slags".

As to Reform 's "independent" inquiry, with no power to summon and question witnesses what on earth could it find out that others haven't? No one reputable would head up any such inquiry.

Great article by Karen ingala smith.
buti don’t understand why Safe schools alliance made a statement- they’ve never done anything to highlight the grooming gangs. Bandwagon jumping is not a good look, not in the face of such terrible crimes of violence against girls

@user23124 i hope so. We need to stop being afraid to record data correctly and we need to speak the truth.

Free speech is so important to democracy and the term Far Right is used to stop conversation, debating and questioning.

If someone says Far Right now I just wonder what they are trying to hide or stop me questioning.

I see Starmer abstained tonight. So can’t be accused later on but applied the whip to his constituents and put them in the firing line of their angry constituents. Wonder if he was open and honest about that prior to them voting.

Sorry just reread I should have said Prof Jay and typo on publicly auto corrected - it’s been a very long day at work

The chair of the Jay Review of Criminally Exploited Children published in November 2023, Prof Alexis Jay, told the BBC Radio Four Today Programme that lack of data means it is “impossible to know whether any particular ethnic group is over-represented as perpetrators of child sexual exploitation by networks” and that one of the review’s recommendations was improved data collection. It should be unacceptable that this was ever the case, more so that it remains the case because the review recommendations still have not been implemented.

I wonder if this will make them realise how important recording innate characteristics such as sex and race are?

The baroness Jay report only covered 6 towns. It covered Saville, the church and only a small section on grooming. Only one grooming victim was spoken to. It did not investigate Pakistani Muslim grooming/rape and torture gangs.

I think they should action the reports recommendations AND carry out a national enquiry.

The sentencing remarks are horrific, I cannot believe that a majority of fathers are disgusted by what happened to the girls. I also think some men will have been moved by the father’s interviews. Also the victims statements. The media attention and arguing politicians may finally give the survivors the enquiry they deserve and allow many men to be arrested and charged. The men I have spoken in real life are either truly horrified or very good actors.

If anyone reading this hasn’t read the sentencing remarks I recommend you do read them. Many victims want an enquiry. The parents of victims want an enquiry. Let them have one. It’s the least the government can do. And lock up any one complicit, MPs, police, councillors.

Some people are saying this is still happening to girls - so I am grateful to anyone discussing this as it may save lives.

Rosie Duffield voted No this evening - that was very disappointing. The lack of support for a national enquiry from women has actually disappointed me the most. Labours votes this evening are a disgrace and I am glad that Tice has said public ally that Reform they will fund an enquiry. Yes it’s politics but it was also politics that allowed people to cover up mass gang rapes in 50 towns in modern western Britain. If reform are happy to fund raise for it I am happy to donate.

I love this woman, she cuts through all the bullshit.

Baroness Jay reported in 2022 and the Tories did zero when they had the opportunity to push forward its recommendations. Their political opportunism to exploit this now for their own ends is shameful. However, the current spotlight might provide an impetus to see these recommendation acted on.

Great article!