Police investigate as kids ‘sold for sex’ in Sturgeon’s own constituency
POLICE are to investigate claims of child prostitution in the heart of Nicola Sturgeon’s constituency.
Community activists, charities and residents claim child prostitution has been rife among the Roma community in Glasgow’s Govanhill area for several years.
They say children are being forced into the sex trade by parents and relatives and have accused the police of failing to act for fear of being branded racist.
Govanhill, part of the First Minister’s Glasgow Southside constituency, has become notorious for slums, overcrowding and fly-tipping in the past decade. Now locals have made allegations about a growing child prostitution problem in the large Roma population, which began arriving in 2004 when Romania and Slovakia became EU members.
Reports last night of child abuse in Govanhill prompted politicians to call for a major inquiry to be set up by the Scottish Government, while Police Scotland promised ‘a full investigation’ into the claims.
Yesterday the force claimed it had ‘no information’ on child exploitation issues in the area, despite residents claiming to have reported their concerns to officers.
Two years ago, Crosshill and Govanhill community council recorded in its minutes that ‘an issue had been raised regarding child prostitution within Govanhill’ with police, according to The Times newspaper. Community leaders claim child prostitution is now commonplace there, with Roma men openly trying to sell children for sex.
Resident Fiona Jordan, who leads the Let’s Save Govanhill community group, said a group of builders were recently approached by Roma men offering sex with ‘young boys’.
She said: ‘They were appalled. We all were. However, if you complain about what is going on, you are treated either as a bothersome curtain-twitcher or a racist out to stir up trouble needlessly.’
Police Scotland has vehemently denied accusations that it turned a blind eye to the issue.
But Miss Jordan claims the problem is comparable to the child grooming scandal in Rotherham, where an estimated 1,400 white girls were abused by men, predominantly Pakistanis.
She added: ‘There needs to be a full inquiry into this. We have laws in this country to protect children, but the idea that this notion of community cohesion trumps the idea of young girls being sexually violated is completely unacceptable. This is exactly what happened in Rotherham.’
In Neeson’s bar on Allison Street, one regular confirmed he had been propositioned by a ‘very young boy’. The man, who did not wish to be named, said: ‘He asked me if I wanted him. I just ignored him. It is the parents who are to blame.’
Olive Arens, chief executive of Up2-Us, a charity that works with vulnerable teenagers, told The Times: ‘The sexual exploitation of Roma children in Govanhill is a longstanding issue... It was children and adults making deals in huddles. It is very clear what was taking place but nothing ever happened to stop it.’
Conservative Glasgow MSP Annie Wells said: ‘The Scottish Government must set up an independent
‘It’s what happened in Rotherham’
‘The parents are to blame’
inquiry to establish all the facts of this case as a matter of urgency.’
Last night, the Scottish Government said: ‘These are deeply concerning claims and anyone with evidence of suspected crimes should be encouraged to contact the police in the first instance.
‘Keeping children safe from abuse and exploitation is a key priority for the Scottish Government.’
Chief Superintendent Brian McInulty, Police Scotland’s area commander for Glasgow, said: ‘While we have no information or intelligence to substantiate the concerns described in the article, we will carry out a full investigation into the claims.’
The council said: ‘The incidents highlighted today have been looked at by staff and we are not aware of these ever being reported to our support services.’