Over a decade ago, Julie Bindel was the first to report on the so-called “grooming gangs” exploiting working class girls in a number of towns in Northern England. Thousands of victims were sexually abused and sold to adult men, yet the police and the media didn’t want to address it. Because the gangs were made up of Pakistani men, media and the authorities claimed they didn’t want to touch the issue for fear of being accused of racism. Two recently released reports revealed social workers and the police in South Yorkshire and Greater Manchester knew girls were being abused, yet failed to take action. How and why did this fly under the radar for so long?

In this episode, I speak with Julie Bindel, a journalist, prolific author, and feminist campaigner, from her home in London, to learn more about the issues surrounding the scandal.