Sonia Sodha - on safeguarding, Saville and sexual abuse.

[DomesticatedZombie]

www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/apr/17/what-will-it-take-for-adults-learm-from-jimmy-savile-protect-children

SS discusses Crispin Blunt's recent defense of Imran Ahmad Khan. Depressing how the same stories seem to repeat over and over again.

And we've already had one accusation of 'pearl clutching' on this board today; women getting accused of prudery/bigotry when raising concerns about child safety and safeguarding seems to be an accepted trope.

"White or black, gay or straight, rich or poor: abusers come in all shapes and sizes. The only thing they have in common is that they are almost always male".

Excellent article.

This is hardly a relic of history. Today, we have safeguarding laws and policies designed to protect children that simply didn’t exist a few decades ago. Yet none of it is failsafe: they rely on adults in authority being willing to enforce them.
…
I hate the notion that Savile “groomed a nation”, a phrase coined by the Met commander who led the Savile investigation. It lets off the hook too many adults who should have protected those children. That an MP can today engage in paedophile apologia with only the mildest consequences shows how very far Britain still is from learning the lessons of Jimmy Savile.

Sonia Sodha is outstanding. And just how many times are we going to have to plead for the lessons of Savile and his protective cocoon to be applied to contemporary events. It seems a marked coincidence that women from FWR and elsewhere contacted NSPCC about the Family Sex Show and its association with NSPCC. NSPCC was dismissive it its response to those who contacted them and pretty much told them it was nothing to do with them and was for the letter writer to follow up with anyone but them. Nonetheless, the reference to NSPCC is no longer present on the promotional materials although I wonder if the theatre has contacted any of the ticket buyers to alert them to this…

That's exactly the issue I had in mind while reading, Embarrassing.

I think 'grooming a nation' may be problematic, but I think that's what's happening here.

This man is excusing child sex abuse.

He has not had the whip withdrawn.

The Prime Minister and leader of his party thinks that the investigations into historical child abuse (which have ultimately helped today's childrenn) were a waste of money.

I could go on.

Yet, many on here are advocating voting for this party.

It's something I simply cannot comprehend.

Largely because the other party hates females and child safeguarding even more, and to a much more vehement degree with plans of action as to how to destroy them.

Better the devil you know. It's not a 'choice', it's deciding which fate is the least fucking awful.

@Artichokeleaves

Largely because the other party hates females and child safeguarding even more, and to a much more vehement degree with plans of action as to how to destroy them.

Better the devil you know. It's not a 'choice', it's deciding which fate is the least fucking awful.

Yep.

Sonia doing what should be Labour's job here.

This week, people were still defending Crispin Blunt on social media as the put-upon victim in an "anti-trans" smear campaign. I even saw people doing so in the replies to Owen Jones on facebook, which is doubly-odd as Crispin Blunt is a conservative party MP. Men who identify as of the left - and who castigate left-wing women for working cross-party for women's rights - are perfectly willing to cross party lines to defend Crispin Blunt.

I think Sonia S is a wonder. She catches so much - and really calls out safeguarding issues that I think a lot of male writers miss or minimise. Writes with clarity too.

@MrsBrodie

"White or black, gay or straight, rich or poor: abusers come in all shapes and sizes. The only thing they have in common is that they are almost always male".

Excellent article.

Exactly, that's what women have been saying, and what one much-missed poster said. There are no sacred castes.