Child sex hell victims ‘ignored because they are middle class’
MIDDLE CLASS victims of Britain’s largest Asian child sex gang were repeatedly let down by social workers who dismissed them as “not poor enough”, a charity chief has revealed.
Authorities thought children were just “rebelling” and some were deemed not to need help as they lived in homes with conservatories, loft extensions and “nice kitchens”.
Warnings about systematic abuse of young girls by Asian men in Huddersfield were first raised by Parents Against Child Exploitation (Pace) in 2009. They prompted Labour MP Barry Sheerman to urge Parliament to “take the issue more seriously”.
Prostitution
Kirklees Council children’s services were described by Ofsted last year as “not improving quick enough”, and Pace chief executive Gill Gibbons says the child protection system remains “unfit for purpose”.
In 2009 Mr Sheerman told Parliament: “Two or three of my constituents have faced the traumatic experience of having a daughter as young as 12 taken into a way of life that leads to sexual manipulation and in some cases, prostitution.”
He said men would befriend girls before having a sexual relationship and “passing the girl on to an older generation or a wider circle of men”.
Almost a decade later, 20 men have been convicted of the “vile and wicked” abuse, receiving a total of 257 years behind bars. Ringleader Amere Singh Dhaliwal, 35, was jailed for life with a minimum of 18 years for 54 offences, including child rape.
Ms Gibbons said: “The system isn’t fit for purpose. That was the case with the historic Huddersfield victims and that is still the case now.
“A social worker visited a family and commented on what a ‘nice kitchen’ they had and on their loft conversion. The family were seen to have a nice home and living comfortably, so didn’t need the support of social services.”
Mr Sheerman said “people thought it was girls from tough backgrounds and in care”, when a lot of families were “middle class”.
West Yorkshire Police accepted opportunities were “missed”, but blamed a “lack of understanding” of grooming. The force said: “Improved understanding of the subject also now means these signs can be spotted and acted upon at a very early stage.”
Kirklees children’s services director Steven Walker said protecting vulnerable children “must be our priority”.
But Kath Pinnock, council leader from 2000 to 2006, said: “I can, hand on heart, say nobody raised the issue. I’m confident that if they had, we would have reacted in a way to bring these people to justice.”