There is no crime more despicable than child abuse.
The way grooming gangs, many of them Asian, prey on vulnerable girls in some of our poorest areas is disgusting.
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When I was a leading prosecutor in this country, I saw firsthand how these children are failing.
I don’t believe in working class girls. Or a misplaced fear that the jury won’t believe us.
Wrong ideas about community relations.
All of these contributed to denying justice to children and allowing perpetrators to continue to abuse freely. That’s a problem I tackled head-on.
My fight to change the way prosecutors operate is a matter of public record.
We will ensure that those responsible for these despicable acts are brought to justice. Put it in the dock. Then behind the bar.
That’s why I filed the first indictment against a grooming group.
Far-right voices are trying to rewrite history.
The absurd claim is that Security Minister Jess Phillips and I are part of the problem, not the solution.
In fact, Jess has spent her life fighting to keep women and girls safe.
The venom the far right is spewing out should surprise no one.
Those who spread lies and misinformation are not interested in the victims.
Those who support Tommy Robinson (the thug who was jailed for trying to bust a grooming case) have no interest in justice.
They are only interested in themselves.
But that didn’t stop people who should know better from jumping on the bandwagon.
This includes politicians who stood by when they had the opportunity to act.
fail the victim
Of course, you should do everything possible. We must stop at all costs to reach the truth.
A national inquiry into child sexual exploitation was needed.
That’s why one was held.
7 years of work. There were 18 investigations. Thoroughly investigate not only what went wrong, but also what should happen.
Professor Alexis Jay announced the final findings in 2022.
But the Conservative government failed to implement them, leaving victims disappointed.
Giving every child the best start in life is a key part of our transformation plan. It starts with keeping them safe
sir keir starmer
Now they are calling for another state investigation. Prioritizing political stance over child protection.
But as everyone from NSPCC experts to Professor Jay himself have said, we know what we need. We need to take action, not delay any longer.
Well, my government is acting.
One of Professor Jay’s key recommendations was to impose mandatory reporting of child sexual abuse.
This is the measure I first called for in 2013, and as Prime Minister I intend to deliver it.
This government, my government, will make this into law.
This goes beyond introducing professional sanctions against teachers, social workers, police and others who fail to report sexual abuse.
Additionally, those who intentionally obstruct sexual abuse investigations will also be charged with a specified crime.
It must and will include the possibility of imprisonment. Both criminals and licensees are where they belong: in prison.
The protection of the institution can never take precedence over the protection of the child.
Mandatory reporting alone will not solve this insidious problem.
We will also ensure that all police forces learn the lessons of the past.
I said actions, not words, would bring about the changes needed in this country.
sir keir starmer
All 43 countries are therefore required to improve data collection on child sexual abuse, including the ethnicity of offenders.
We cannot resolve this issue until we know exactly who is involved.
Police need to identify patterns, target gangs, bring abusers to justice and support victims.
It’s scary, but it’s true that the grooming gangs we know may be just the tip of the iceberg.
As many as 500,000 children a year may be sexually abused at home, online or by despicable gangs.
When I first stood on the steps of Downing Street after the election six months ago, I said that actions, not words, would bring about the change we need in this country.
Giving all children the best start in life is a key part of our transformation plan. It starts with keeping them safe.
That’s something I’ve fought for my entire career.
That is what this government is currently trying to achieve.
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