to be shocked and scandalised that this went on unchecked for so long? [MN edit; contains details of current Rotherham news story, possibly triggering]

[ReputableBiscuit]

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-28939089

This piece by Suzanne Moore covers everything, it's a must read: www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/aug/27/poor-children-seen-as-worthless-rotherham-abuse-scandal

Just seen this on Twitter.

Astonishing breaking news: Shaun Wright resigns from Labour Party but insists he'll remain as South Yorks Police Commissioner

From the article linked to above by Ipity:

'It is as if everyone has agreed who is worthless and who isn't; who can be saved and who can't. The police, the local authority, the government, and indeed the grooming gangs, appear to share the same ideology about sexual purity – and its value.

.....So let's join the dots to Savile and the other recent sex-abuse scandals. We have the police in on the case; we have institutions basically offering up the most vulnerable as victims; we have a protection racket centred around fame rather than ethnicity. At the top we have abusive men, at the bottom powerless young girls and boys. So the bigger picture is the systematic rape of poor children by men. Not all men – I have to say this to be politically correct, don't I?

The right can make it only about race. I have no problem in calling certain attitudes of certain Muslims appalling. I just can't see them in isolation from class and gender.

The macho environment in which the girls were not listened to, or even seen as children, is part of a continuum of thought in which girls, once deemed sexually active, even if it is against their will, are seen as damaged goods. Thus they can be bought and sold in a market that has made it apparent it no longer considers them worth protecting'

I may get flamed for this I hope i explain it articulately enough.

The way poorer families are portrayed in the media society and tv does not help matters and feeds into the victim blaming attitudes. The press and tv constantly reinforce that people lower down the socio economic scale dont deserve to be heard.

There is no better example of this than the fact that Benefits Street 2 has begun filming in Stockton on Tees DESPITE residents opposition to it.

If you are in a lower socio economic bracket you are demonized and your opinion counts for nothing.

When part of society is constantly ridiculed stereotyped and demonized and their opinions ignored and they arent listened to and this attitude begins to be seen as the norm then eventually it does reinforce the fact that its ok to treat poorer people as "other" And that includes when a crime has been committed against them or their children.

I don't see how anyone could justifiably flame you there Darkest,it's more or less axiomatic that those of lower socioeconomic status are often viewed as having lesser worth

There is something terribly wrong with our governance of institutions like local councils, police and nhs.

The concept of public service has been all but destroyed. We need to write it back into all contracts and accountability must be recognised as a legal duty, institutional neglect as a punishable offence and investment in good staff on the frontline should be paramount.

This is nothing to do with demonising the poor, it is about enabling failure in our services and avoiding conflict to protect people who think their jobs are on the line if they blow the whistle.

I want to see councillors behind bars over this.

The police officers who failed to act over the 11 year old should be held accountable for starters.

Nottingham witness 'Melanie Shaw', who was among abused children at Beechwood House, was arrested on a charge of vandalism, which she denies, and is being held in Peterborough prison, where she has been bullied and molested. Her child has been taken from her. Today her bail application was denied in a closed court. The Mckenzie Friend who'd travelled from Plymouth to support her application was refused access to the hearing.

There's a petition for her release here.

A lot of councils DO see poorer people as "other" Many of them use workfare.

Poorer people do NOT get listened to. But i do agree with you about the neglect on the authorities part.

Cant imagine them taking the same attitude if one of the victims had been a stockbrokers daughter though.

Am I being unreasonable the be shocked that the feminists forums still have not said a peep about this case?
Go there and you will see any number of posts about "rape culture"
Yet when the biggest and most extensive case of rape culture in living memory in this country is finally acknowledged by the media and the authorities, there is not a peep from them.
Could it be for the same reason most people on the left ignored it?
Ann Cryer could tell you a lot about them.

Children I post over there quite a lot but havent started a thread about this because i wasnt sure how to word it adequately and i havent been able to face anything too harrowing for a few months. Its why i havent posted on the thread on the News board yet.

And im not particularly happy about having to justify myself as to why!

Yes, Children, it surprised me too. It's been mentioned quite a bit - in the general context of male privilege / rape culture - but no specific thread at all. A few of us are posting on these threads, though.

I have the FWR board hidden now, so I'm not really a FWR "us" any more! Got drawn back in after opening it specifically to see what was being said about CSA.

So the bigger picture is the systematic rape of poor children by men. Not all men – I have to say this to be politically correct, don't I?

Not quite sure what the point of the snide second sentence there from Suzanne Moore was.

I thought she meant it should be obvious. She feels embarrassed to be saying it, but understands it's better to?

She'd be right, as well! As soon as you say "men do something bad", you get buried under a pile of angry responses saying you hate men, think they're all rapists, yadda yadda. It tends to detract from the point you were making. So NAMALT.

Strangely enough, this doesn't happen when men write articles about "women do something crap".

• DISCLAIMER I tried to do this as a PM but it would NOT take Garlics username so it is NOT my intention to take this thread off topic or hijack because this was meant to be a PM to GarlicAugustus.

Hi. Just thought i would let you know that i have been following the thread on the News board. But havent posted as ive been having to deal with trying not to develop an eating disorder over the last few months as my weight loss has stalled.
I just couldnt deal with sorting out my health and the harrowing stuff thats been coming out.
I did notice that there is an upcoming webchat and i will do my best to be on it...internet connection and timing permitting. I think you are doing excellent work btw. x

Thank you, darling :) I'm going to have to take a back seat, too, as am in a right old crisis pickle at home. I had taken a back seat, then the Rotherham news broke on the radio!

As long as we persist, together and separately Be well soon.

I took it more that actually she does think all men are rapists but she felt obliged to tack that on. It adds nothing to her piece.

I admit I find Suzanne Moore a sanctimonious waste of space even if I occasionally agree with what she's saying.

Greer accused Moore of possessing "hair bird's-nested all over the place, fuck-me shoes and three fat inches of cleavage".
But Im fairly sure she is the sum of more than that. ??

It's about a group of people who know each other by some form of community links targeting a group of young vulnerable people. They are lured into a situation and then kept in a cycle of abuse by fearand manipulation. The authorities do not understand this and (I work in social care) a culture of poor leadership, overload, not listening to individual workers and victim blaming perpetuate this.

When BEM issues arise there is a lack of understanding and an 'allowance' for cultural practices which are not acceptable so the victim doesn't get listened to.

It's about a group of people who know each other by some form of community links targeting a group of young vulnerable people. They are lured into a situation and then kept in a cycle of abuse by fearand manipulation. The authorities do not understand this

I think the authorities do understand this. I think in many instances there's an acceptance of "collateral damage" that some kids in care will be preyed upon, and in an atmosphere of growing complacency, abusers have free rein. I think the vulnerable kids are viewed as having low intrinsic "worth" and the problems they represent are considered to be too intractable.

Kendodd

Imagine that your boyfriend was Italian and his uncle ran a pizza place, would you see your boyfriend and uncle's behaviour as any different?

Then imagine it is a white boy and a fish and chip shop, again would you expect different behaviour?

Were you being groomed? No, because this fizzled out and you were allowed to leave. You were not scared to leave, you were not threatened.

It was a teenage romance and very sweet it sounds too.