The News Agents Why are politicians weaponising grooming gang survivors?
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Jun 17, 2025 Louise Casey, Baroness and author of a pivotal report on grooming gangs, discusses the grim realities of child sexual exploitation in the UK. Her findings expose systemic failures and the troubling politics surrounding victim narratives. Casey warns of the risks of racial exploitation in the debate and emphasizes the need for honest dialogue about these crimes. She also reflects on the historical neglect of victims and the urgent call for government accountability, all spurred by a provocative tweet from Elon Musk.
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Sanitizing Horrific Abuse
- The term "group-based child sexual exploitation" sanitizes the horrific reality of repeated rape and torture that survivors endure.
- Society and the justice system often minimize the trauma to avoid facing the true horror of such abuse.
Adultification Masks Victims' Reality
- "Adultification" wrongly frames underage victims as consenting participants, obscuring the abuse's reality.
- Ignoring children's vulnerability at older ages allows predators to exploit them easily, especially those in unstable care situations.
Data Shows Disproportionate Offenders
- Data is imperfect but shows disproportionality: Asian and Pakistani heritage men are over-represented as group-based child sexual exploitation perpetrators.
- Thorough data collection and deeper cultural investigation are essential to understand and address this sensitivity responsibly.
