The time has come to right one of the greatest injustices seen in Britain in modern times. The systematic rape, abuse and exploitation of young girls by organised gangs of older men – and the disgraceful failure of the authorities to act despite ample evidence – is a stain on our country.
… First, the victims were – and are – some of the most vulnerable people in our society. Young females, overwhelmingly white girls from disadvantaged or troubled backgrounds, have been repeatedly raped, abused, intimidated, beaten and given addictive substances – and consistently let down by the authorities. Most of them have still not received justice.
Second, the perpetrators are groups of men, almost all British-Pakistani, who hold cultural attitudes completely incompatible with British values. They have been left mostly unchallenged both within their communities and by wider society, despite their activities being an open secret.
Many of them have gone unpunished and remain at large.
