- The recent audit on grooming gangs highlights institutional failures in addressing abuse.
- The report, led by Baroness Louise Casey, focuses on group-based child sexual abuse in Britain.
- Authorities have been reluctant to acknowledge the over-representation of Pakistani men in these cases.
The issue of grooming gangs, disproportionately involving men of Pakistani heritage in Britain, has resurfaced following the publication of a review on abuse in England and Wales. The government-commissioned audit, led by Baroness Louise Casey, examined existing data and evidence on group-based child sexual abuse.
Casey's audit revealed serious institutional failures, including a reluctance by authorities to acknowledge the over-representation of men of Pakistani heritage in these cases, often citing fears of being labelled racist.
"We found many examples of organisations avoiding the topic altogether for fear of appearing racist, raising community tensions, or causing community cohesion problems," the report said.
The report stresses the need for transparent and consistent data collection on offenders' ethnicity and nationality, arguing that poor national data has hampered effective action.
The report's findings have triggered strong reactions on social media. Some British-Pakistanis expressed shame and disappointment, urging open and honest conversations within the community to address the issue.
Has Ahmed, a London-based businessman, written on X (formerly Twitter), "As a Pakistani in Britain, today is a dark day". He highlighted the report's confirmation of victims' experiences, including abuse, rape, and trafficking, and the failure of institutions meant to protect them. Ahmed added, "And the men who did this? Many of them were Pakistani. They came from our communities. That's the truth. And it shames us."
Nuriyah Khan, a London-based content creator, stated, "I'm British-Pakistani, and I'm tired of tiptoeing around the truth! The majority of offenders in the UK grooming gangs were of Pakistani origin. That's not racism; it's a FACT. But say it out loud and suddenly...you're 'far-right'."
The report and subsequent discussions underscore the complex challenges in addressing child sexual exploitation while navigating concerns about racial sensitivity and accurate data reporting.
