Report exposes UK’s failure to confront ethnicity in ‘grooming gangs’
UK government apologises for failing to protect girls after a report found fears of racism meant authorities failed to act
British police will be ordered to record the ethnicity of gangs involved in organised child sexual abuse after a report on Monday detailed state failures to tackle the issue and a reluctance to recognise an “over-representation” of Asian men.
Those on the political left have argued that far-right groups have used the issue to stigmatise entire Asian communities, while others say the ethnicity question has been ignored, often at the expense of the victims.
The report found data from three areas showed “clear evidence of over-representation among suspects of Asian and Pakistani heritage men”, but that ethnicity was not recorded in two-thirds of cases.
“Despite reviews, reports and inquiries raising questions about men from Asian or Pakistani backgrounds grooming and sexually exploiting young white girls, the system has consistently failed to fully acknowledge this or collect accurate data so it can be examined effectively,” the report said.
