Yet another abuse of girls scandal in Telford going on for 40 years!

[rowdywoman1]

www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/britains-worst-ever-child-grooming-12165527

Up to 1,000 girls repeatedly abused for up to 40 years in Telford. What on earth have the police and other organisations been doing?

Thanks Lang that's really interesting.

I genuinely think that this is a surprise to a lot of people - although maybe it shouldn't have been.

Most people assume that police / SS are doing their jobs and protecting children I think - after the first one or 2 came out there's really no excuse though.

A bump for the petition.

My understanding of this from various sources is that while it is one specific demographic who groom the girls, every demographic then pays to rape them, every colour, background and from every social strata. This has been the case for at least 50 years that I know of, although, if you go more than 40 years back, the groomers were white and groomed girls and boys, whereas now the groomers tend to be of Pakistani origin and target mostly girls.

The tastes of the kinds of men who pay to rape women and girls haven't changed much since forever. The younger the better, and no questions asked.

Oh, and not only do I think that the police knew, but I also have it on good authority from a survivor that police from a force not far removed from Telford's were actively involved.

Do you mean actively involved, as in taking part?

Yes, I mean a good friend of mine who was groomed and trafficked years ago was abused by police officers in a British jurisdiction who knew what was happening.

Oh god, that's awful

I'm so sorry for your friend. Massive, massive abuse of power.

That's why EVERYONE should be brought to justice. Not just the abusers, but those who covered or ignored, or took part in the abuse.

Can there be a mumsnet campaign I wonder?

Sadly, there's still a lot more towns to be exposed. I worry it will just become background noise soon.

Tbh, given the amount of victims, I'm surprised there's been no vigilante attacks. I wouldn't be sitting quietly if that was my daughter...

Did I hear that they're calling for an inquiry? What about the one that's already meant to be happening?!

One of my female lecturers at a top British University whose research involves health tourism and human trafficking and who advises governments and the EU on health policy stated vehemently in a seminar with students that the statistics on child trafficking were grotesquely wrong and that in reality child trafficking is not much of an issue in this country or globally. I did not believe her then and found her stance arrogant entrenched in ideology and full of her own self-importance. I wonder what academia in general says about child sex abuse on the UK and whether much research is commissioned in this area and how objective this research is.

A Police Officer said similar this week, that the figures were grossly over exaggerated, and that Telford is no more rife than other major cities and Towns.

One girl is enough.

One girl is enough. Absolutely, however it is 1000s of girls.

Millions worldwide one can assume.

I've never posted on MN before, but I feel very strongly about the appalling revelations from Telford and have been trying to find out more about what's been done nationally to address child abuse and sexual violence against young people. It's not easy to find facts rather than opinion. But I did find this - www.dare2care.org.uk/ -
a website which was launched recently by Sarah Champion MP. IMO the recommendations of her Dare2Care campaign are crystal clear AND wide-ranging - so important when the problem is so complex.. Please have a look if you haven't seen this before.

Oh that's a good link Tired

This just seems to be everywhere..those poor girls

angry doesn't even begin to describe how I feel.

"Every demographic then pays to rape them." I personally find that hard to believe as it happened to me. It was an insular community, Pakistani obviously, just passing us about between them. I find it offensive when people try to "not all Pakistanis are like that, all men do it." Like its some joint venture. The working class Pakistani community do not integrate with other cultures. I think most middle class people who are friends with "raj" the Muslim consultant and his psychologist wife believe that reflects the rest of the Muslim community. It doesn't. This is a problem between the White working class who's girls are taught to believe they have equal rights, they can wear what they like, feminist values. Being side by side with the working class Pakistani community who are insular and believe in traditional values religion/cultural. Women are second class. Men can't help themselves, cover yourself up unless you deserve it. This is about culture. A lot of the Pakistani community marry their cousins from Pakistan and they relocate here. They bring their cultural socialisation. They see white girls as easy meat, slags, asking for it. Read the Quran.

As for politics, we are all taught at school that cultural diversity is progressive, we are taught to accept that other people's cultures should be equal to ours. Child grooming gangs are the backlash of putting massively different cultures side by side. The reason it's under reported and under convicted is that we are all taught that diversity is progressive. I just see a lot of people with different ideologies opposing each other. You can't put a man from a background where girls are women at twelve and where men are naturally dominant and 'right' alongside a load of white girls with in built feminist ideals and not expect casualties. The authorities have their hands tied by diversity laws and some police officers have taken the piss for their own gain. As for children in care, they are the most vulnerable people in our society as they have no family support. There are laws that prevent both foster carers and group home carers from preventing these kids from leaving the home, that's why they fall prey to predators

Just to add I once looked after a Pakistani woman in a care home. She was in her 80's and could not speak a word of English. She had lived in the uk for 50 years. She didn't need to know English, she didn't stray from her community, she wasn't allowed. She was only with us a few month as her family were waiting for their house to be extended to accommodate her. The only visitors she had were her son's, the women were at home.

Lowlabola, I'm so sorry for what you've gone through and thank you for having the courage to come here and speak about it.

I read the extended report in the times in 2011 and what I read there certainly backed up your lived experience.

I thought we had moved on from people trying to deflect from who was committing these particular crimes. Apparently not.

I am very sorry for your experiences Lola and I am in no way casting doubt on your lived experience.

I find it offensive when people try to "not all Pakistanis are like that, all men do it."

I really hope this wasn't aimed at me, because it was absolutely not what I said or what I meant. I believe I was clear, but in case I wasn't I will reiterate. Muslim men, most of whom come from Pakistani backgrounds have groomed and exploited girls.

What I am saying, and this is based on other people's lived experience of being exploited and abused by these men, is that men of all colours and creeds then pay those Pakistani men to abuse the girls that they have groomed and exploited.

This is not deflection at all. It is a clear statement that if not for the Pakistani men who groomed and exploited them, those girls would not have been further abused by all those other men who pay the girls' exploiters for the privilege.

I think there should now be a huge police operation in all areas of the country where there is a large Pakistani Muslim community because it must be likely to be going on there too. And the 'care' system is appalling, I worked with children in care and we were not allowed to object to placing our children out of county in Rochdale, even though everyone knew the problems happening there

There was mass media outrage about the Presidents Club because MPs kept talking about it so the media had to report it. Don’t expect them to have the same level of concerns about Telford though, because the victims were/are working class. There is a petition for a public enquiry but I’m sure the government will resist it in case the Labour Party accuse them of being racist.

Petition is up to 22,000. Would be nice if we can get it a hell of a lot higher than that.

I'm not angry at anybody to be honest I am hopeful people are realising what's going on. Well I don't really. People don't care. The headlines are distressing and uncomfortable to see. Nothing changes. I am not outing myself, but I have plans. Labour and conservatives are ridiculous. There is no middle ground right now