Grooming Gangs: A National Scandal that Refuses to Fade
A recent Channel 4 documentary, Groomed: A National Scandal, has laid bare the shattering truth about the grooming of young girls by Asian gangs in England. According to the programme, a report that identified over 330 young women at risk from Asian grooming gangs was deemed ‘toxic’ and suppressed by the Home Office. The documentary, presented by investigative reporter Anna Hall, reveals that the report into child exploitation in Rotherham in the early 2000s was part of research funded by Tony Blair’s government.
In an interview with Jayne Senior, one of the report’s authors, Hall asks whether the report’s allegations were ignored ‘because the perpetrators were overwhelmingly British-Pakistani’. Senior replies: ‘I was told on more than one occasion that I needed to stop rocking the multicultural boat. We were talking about children that were being exploited, trafficked, tortured, raped.’ The documentary presents shocking interviews with victims of systematic mass abuse carried out in full view of police, social services, and schools.
The programme is a powerful exploration of the issue, with the evidence presented without melodrama or sensationalism, which renders it all the more devastating. As the documentary makers note, organised grooming gangs – many from Muslim communities – across England continue to target adolescent girls. One care home manager in Blackpool tells Hall that the scale of abuse is worse than it has ever been.
The documentary features interviews with survivors, including Jade and Chantelle, who share their harrowing experiences of being groomed and abused by Asian gangs. Jade, who was brought up in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, talks about how she was introduced to her abusers by her father’s dealers, who pretended to befriend her ‘just to get me drunk and make me feel special’. She began to trust one man, who introduced her to his cousins and uncles – all from the British-Pakistani community.
Jade’s story is one of unimaginable horror, with her being forced into having sex at the age of 14. She has kept countless texts from her rapists, showing how she was entrapped and groomed. Some of her descriptions of rape and sexual assault are too graphic for a family newspaper. When she was reported missing from her care home, police charged her with inciting a minor to engage in sexual activity because the gang had bullied her into bringing another girl to one of their parties. Incredibly, Jade – who was on a police register as a known ‘vulnerable young person’ – was convicted and sentenced to two years in a detention centre.
The documentary also highlights the issue of police inaction in the face of these crimes. According to Groomed: A National Scandal, another survivor, Steph from Keighley in Yorkshire, was able to point out one of her rapists to police – only to be told he was himself a serving police officer. The man has never been charged. As Hall notes, the focus of the documentary is on the main message: that Asian grooming gangs are still abusing countless children.
The programme makers expose the methods used by these gangs: how they send their own sons, aged 11 or younger, to approach girls their own age in schools or outside care homes. The boys then introduce the girls to their older male relatives, who ply their victims with sweets, then alcohol and drugs. This has been going on in English towns and cities for decades, to the general indifference of police and other authorities.
As Groomed: A National Scandal airs on Channel 4, it serves as a reminder of the critical need for authorities to take action against these grooming gangs. The documentary is a powerful call to action, highlighting the need for greater awareness and understanding of this complex issue. According to the Daily Mail, which first reported on the documentary, the programme is a "shocking" and "devastating" exploration of the issue.
The issue of grooming gangs has been a persistent problem in England, with many victims coming forward to share their stories. As Chantelle, a survivor, says of the authorities: ‘Is it because they don’t want to be classed as racist? Or is it because we have genuinely just got no one that cares?’ The documentary serves as a stark reminder of the need for change.
Groomed: A National Scandal is a Channel 4 documentary that airs tonight at 9pm. The programme is a must-watch for anyone concerned about the issue of grooming gangs and the impact on young girls.
Source: www.dailymail.co.uk – https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tv/article-14661679/CHRISTOPHER-STEVENS-Documentary-lays-bare-shattering-truth-grooming-young-girls-bad-ever.html
