There’s a new official epidemic in England and it can’t be tackled with increased hand washing or a new vaccine. In the past year, nearly 19,000 children have been sexually groomed, according to official numbers. But some say the real figure is much higher.
Five years ago, 3,300 suspected victims of child sexual exploitation were identified by authorities. That number rose to a shocking 18,700 in 2018-2019.
Grooming was not officially recorded as an assessment factor during referral to social care until 2013.
Sarah Champion, the Labour MP for Rotherham, told the Independent that the grooming of children “remains one of the largest forms of child abuse in the country.”
“Too many times, government has said it will ‘learn lessons’, yet 19,000 children are still at risk of sexual exploitation.
The government has singularly failed to tackle this issue head on. Its approach has been piecemeal and underfunded.”
According to the Independent, the Home Office has begun an analysis of data regarding the cases and will use the results to inform new policy and prevention strategies, but the Queen’s Speech did not mention anything about a public review. – READ MORE