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While the government delays its report on grooming gangs operating in the UK, victims have come forward to tell their stories – not only of the people who abused them but of the institutions that failed to help.

But did fear of appearing racist contribute to institutional failures in tackling group-based child sexual exploitation?

Home Office Minister Jess Phillips announced the delay in the publication of the report on grooming gangs yesterday (June 2, 2025).

This Site does not propose to repeat what happened to the ladies who were abused. You can find the stories from the BBC’s Newsnight feature here, if you want the details.

The question now is: how do we take forward the information they have provided?

The trauma endured by victims like Kate, Chantelle, and Jade must not be a political football — it is a national failure demanding justice.

Yet amid calls for accountability, data on the perpetrators is now driving a dangerous political undercurrent that threatens to derail useful action.

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The overwhelming majority of victims in the Newsnight segment were abused by British Pakistani men – and This Writer’s concern is that reporting of this will fuel racism of a wider nature across the UK. For this reason it is important to remember the wider statistical picture:

• Most child sex abuse in the UK is not group-based.

• The vast majority of child sex offenders overall are White British men, as established by the 2022 IICSA report and long-standing police data.

• The subset of “group-based exploitation” is small relative to the total volume of abuse, though it is uniquely harmful, public, and traumatic.

• Ethnicity should not overshadow patterns of grooming, neglect, and systemic failure that are also becoming apparent as victims’ stories are told.

It is crucial not to generalise criminality to entire communities based on a subset of horrific cases.

Political parties are divided on how to approach these crimes, with debates centring around what should be investigated and the implications for community relations.

Reform UK has been vocal in demanding a national inquiry into grooming gangs. Nigel Farage stated that the party would legislate for such an inquiry if the government failed to act [1]. Chair Zia Yusuf echoed this commitment, emphasizing the need for a full independent investigation [2].

The Conservative Party has also pushed for action. Kemi Badenoch accused the government of reneging on its promise to establish local inquiries [3]. Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp criticized Labour for blocking a national inquiry, suggesting a lack of commitment to addressing the issue [4].

Labour’s approach has focused on localised investigations. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced several local inquiries and a rapid national review to understand the causes of grooming gang crimes [5].

But the party has faced criticism for perceived delays and for comments by officials that downplayed concerns, leading to public apologies [6].

Much of the political debate has been contentious, focused as it is on the ethnicity of perpetrators. Data from the National Police Chiefs’ Council in 2024 indicated that British Pakistanis were over-represented among suspects, but the data was incomplete, with ethnicity recorded in only about two-thirds of cases [7].

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It seems clear to This Writer, though, that there is at least one other angle that needs to be explored: attempts by officials to be ‘politically correct’ – not accusing people for fear of being accused of racism appear to have led to crimes going unreported, possibly encouraging grooming gang members in the past, leading to the issue appearing much more widespread now – and fuelling racism across the UK as a whole.

A wealth of inquiries and reports have found that police, council authorities, and social services repeatedly failed victims of group-based child sexual exploitation (CSE), often due to fears of being accused of racism.

In high-profile cases—such as those in Rotherham, Rochdale, and Telford—frontline professionals hesitated to act decisively against grooming gangs predominantly involving men of British Pakistani heritage.

The 2014 Jay Report into child sexual exploitation in Rotherham found that at least 1,400 children were abused over 16 years, during which time repeated warnings were ignored by local officials.

Professor Alexis Jay concluded that “there was a resistance to acknowledging the ethnic dimension of the perpetrators,” and that concerns over being perceived as racist had a “paralysing” effect on decision-making within the council and police [8].

Similarly, the 2022 Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) reported that “professional hesitancy and fear of appearing racist” was a recurring theme across different local authority areas [9].

In Telford, a 2022 independent inquiry chaired by Tom Crowther KC revealed that local agencies had “overemphasized the need for community cohesion at the expense of safeguarding children”, and that race concerns led to minimization or dismissal of abuse allegations [10].

These failures were not limited to the police: social workers and council officers were frequently found to have disregarded the testimonies of victims, sometimes labelling them as “making lifestyle choices” or “engaging in consensual relationships,” even when the children involved were underage and clearly being exploited.

A failure to grasp the coercive nature of grooming, compounded by institutional inertia and lack of cultural competence, allowed abuse to flourish unchecked.

This pattern of deferral and denial has sparked a wider debate about the unintended consequences of overzealous political correctness – that is in danger of being sidelined by the race-based hysteria.

While protecting communities from racism is critical, critics argue that an excessive fear of causing offense has enabled serious harm to continue unchallenged, and that this needs to be addressed with clearer policies that distinguish between racial profiling and evidence-based policing.

There are growing calls for training and guidance to help frontline workers engage more confidently and appropriately with ethnic and cultural dynamics in criminal cases—ensuring that safeguarding responsibilities are met without perpetuating stereotypes or ignoring risks.

Victims and advocacy groups insist that child protection must always take precedence over reputational concerns and that is also my belief.

When legitimate questions about systemic failures are stifled under the guise of avoiding offence, the result is not harmony — it is mistrust. For the sake of victims and vulnerable children, we must clarify what can be said, what must be said, and how to say it responsibly.

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The challenge faced by the government’s delayed report lies in addressing the failures that allowed grooming gangs to operate – while maintaining social cohesion.

My fear is that the delay in publication may have been politically motivated, aiming to foreground the ethnicity of some perpetrators rather than deliver a comprehensive analysis.

Transparent inquiries are essential, but they must be conducted in a manner that avoids stigmatizing entire communities. The focus should remain on justice and ensuring that such abuses do not recur.

If we are to protect future victims, it is imperative that safeguarding authorities are equipped with the cultural competence and institutional courage to act decisively — regardless of the ethnic background of offenders.

This isn’t about abandoning community sensitivity, but about refusing to let it override child safety.

We owe victims not only justice but truth — and that means confronting abuse wherever it happens, whoever commits it, whoever covers it up… and however uncomfortable the facts may be.

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References

1. Nigel Farage interview. YouTube – January 2025

2. Zia Yusuf statement. The Independent – 2025

3. Kemi Badenoch comments. BBC News – April 2025

4. Chris Philp statement. The Guardian – May 2025

5. Yvette Cooper inquiry announcement. The Independent – 2025

6. Lucy Powell apology. The Independent – May 2025

7. National Police Chiefs’ Council report (2024): Ethnicity breakdown of grooming gang suspects (cited in multiple outlets)

8. Jay, Alexis (2014). Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Exploitation in Rotherham (1997–2013). Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council.

9. IICSA (2022). Thematic report on Child Sexual Exploitation by Organised Networks. Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse.

10. Crowther, Tom (2022). Independent Inquiry into CSE in Telford. Telford and Wrekin Council.

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