Afghan girls football team to relocate to the UK
The service was consequently put into special measures by the government.
A further 11 men from Dewsbury and Batley face trial next year for 104 alleged offences include rape, aiding and abetting rape, sexual activity with a child, indecent assault, sexual assault and supplying drugs.
They relate to five females and are said to have occurred between 1999 and 2012.
The council appointed Mel Meggs in December 2018 as Director of Children’s Services to turn the department around.
An Ofsted inspector later highlighted what she described as “a renewed energy and determination” in the service under Ms Meggs’ “strong and resilient senior leadership”.
Government intervention in Kirklees’ Children’s Services ended last year following “significant progress” in the way children and young people are supported in the district.
Responding to news of the council’s support, Barry Sheerman said: “This is something that I keep a very close eye on.
“These victims suffered the most dreadful kinds of abuse. They deserve the full support of the community.
“We owe it to the victims to make sure that any of the people that exploited them pay the penalty.
“The sooner the justice system deals with them, the better.
“I monitor information flows and police activity because some of these ghastly people have come out of prison, so I keep a check on it.”
A GROUP of Afghan girls with promising football careers, who fled their country after the Taliban takeover, are set to be relocated to the UK in the next few weeks.
The squad, who are mostly teenagers, have been in Pakistan on temporary 30-day visas since escaping from Afghanistan, but faced being sent back once their asylum period ran out and another country had not accepted them.
“We are working to finalise visas to the Afghanistan women’s football team and look forward to welcoming them to the UK shortly,” a Government spokesman said on Monday.
The 35 young players and their families - 130 people - just missed the airlift from Kabul after their country fell to the Taliban. They were then “in a hugely dangerous, lifethreatening position should they remain in Afghanistan”.