Alexander Stafford is MP for Rother Valley.
Child sexual abuse is an evil, sickening crime, perhaps the worst crime imaginable, and it is right that those convicted should never see the outside of a prison cell. Cases of child sexual abuse in towns and cities across the country have ruined countless lives, torn apart hundreds of families, and left so many communities divided and broken.
Sadly, many of our once-respected towns and cities have, in recent decades, uncovered large-scale, organised child sexual abuse which has rocked them to the core. None more so than in my local town of Rotherham where, over the course of two decades, it is estimated that over 1,500 children were raped while local authorities did nothing.
Over the course of three police operations – including Operation Stovewood, the largest police investigation ever into child sexual exploitation – nearly 50 people have been convicted in Rotherham; and the rooting out of these monsters continues, in my town and others. However, the deep scar that the child sexual abuse cases cut into the communities of Rotherham, and surrounding areas, like my constituency of Rother Valley, has yet to fully heal.
We now know that, over the decades and on numerous occasions, victims, their families, and other concerned third parties brought evidence to authorities: to the police and Rotherham Council in particular. Unfortunately, as was comprehensively laid out in both the Jay and Casey Inquiries, those authorities consistently turned a blind eye, failed to act, or otherwise neglected their duty to these children. This is truly despicable behaviour, and undoubtably is the root cause for how the gangs of rapists were able to continue their heinous crimes for so long.
Many of my constituents, none more so than the survivors and victims have been privileged to speak to during my three years as their MP, live in the knowledge that the abuse was facilitated by those in power, who consistently failed in their duty to protect innocent children. Including four current chairs of council committees who attended the infamous CSE seminar in 2005.
During this meeting, they were told about the scale of the horrific abuse in Rotherham, but failed to speak out for a decade. The Casey Report said that no councillor who attended the seminar could deny knowledge, yet these councillors are now in charge of licencing, planning, and standards and ethics.
Sadly, this is not something particular to the Rotherham case. The similarities are stark across the other towns and cities blighted by child sex scandals, such as Rochdale or Telford: first, local councils and the police are frequently heavily criticised for their failures to act. Often these local authorities are found to have willingly turned a blind eye or refused to investigate the problem altogether. Second, many of those found to have failed in their duties cited apparent concern for upsetting racial or cultural sensitives. To be clear: they were too concerned for how they might come across to stop children being raped.
That is why I am pleased that this Government is working to make sure that there are no more Rotherhams. The hard-hitting Tackling Child Sexual Abuse Strategy outlines decisive steps towards ridding out towns of this blight. The freshly published Victims Bill will make sure that the voices of those who suffer will be heard in our criminal justice system. Moreover, the residents of Rotherham and I warmly welcome the government’s recent commitment to crack down on grooming gangs and, in particular, assurances that concerns about political correctness are to be swept aside, so paedophile protectors can no longer look to rely on this paper-thin defence for their spinelessness.
I believe, however, that we can do better and that we have a duty to the victims, survivors, and their families. I believe that no one complicit in the rape of innocent children should be allowed in public office. That is why, later today, I will be presenting the Public Office (Child Sexual Abuse) Bill to close this abhorrent loophole and bar anyone who facilitated, enabled, or turned a blind eye to child sexual abuse from holding any public office, position of authority, or job paid by taxpayer funds. There is no place for paedophiles, or their facilitators, in our Parliament, our councils, our schools, or our hospitals.
Only once we have scourged these villains from our public bodies can the healing process begin, and justice be brought to the victims and their families. To rebuild trust in our public bodies, from the House of Lords to local councils, from NHS hospital trusts to orphanages, we must first remove those who failed to act when they were needed most.
Alexander Stafford is MP for Rother Valley.
Child sexual abuse is an evil, sickening crime, perhaps the worst crime imaginable, and it is right that those convicted should never see the outside of a prison cell. Cases of child sexual abuse in towns and cities across the country have ruined countless lives, torn apart hundreds of families, and left so many communities divided and broken.
Sadly, many of our once-respected towns and cities have, in recent decades, uncovered large-scale, organised child sexual abuse which has rocked them to the core. None more so than in my local town of Rotherham where, over the course of two decades, it is estimated that over 1,500 children were raped while local authorities did nothing.
Over the course of three police operations – including Operation Stovewood, the largest police investigation ever into child sexual exploitation – nearly 50 people have been convicted in Rotherham; and the rooting out of these monsters continues, in my town and others. However, the deep scar that the child sexual abuse cases cut into the communities of Rotherham, and surrounding areas, like my constituency of Rother Valley, has yet to fully heal.
We now know that, over the decades and on numerous occasions, victims, their families, and other concerned third parties brought evidence to authorities: to the police and Rotherham Council in particular. Unfortunately, as was comprehensively laid out in both the Jay and Casey Inquiries, those authorities consistently turned a blind eye, failed to act, or otherwise neglected their duty to these children. This is truly despicable behaviour, and undoubtably is the root cause for how the gangs of rapists were able to continue their heinous crimes for so long.
Many of my constituents, none more so than the survivors and victims have been privileged to speak to during my three years as their MP, live in the knowledge that the abuse was facilitated by those in power, who consistently failed in their duty to protect innocent children. Including four current chairs of council committees who attended the infamous CSE seminar in 2005.
During this meeting, they were told about the scale of the horrific abuse in Rotherham, but failed to speak out for a decade. The Casey Report said that no councillor who attended the seminar could deny knowledge, yet these councillors are now in charge of licencing, planning, and standards and ethics.
Sadly, this is not something particular to the Rotherham case. The similarities are stark across the other towns and cities blighted by child sex scandals, such as Rochdale or Telford: first, local councils and the police are frequently heavily criticised for their failures to act. Often these local authorities are found to have willingly turned a blind eye or refused to investigate the problem altogether. Second, many of those found to have failed in their duties cited apparent concern for upsetting racial or cultural sensitives. To be clear: they were too concerned for how they might come across to stop children being raped.
That is why I am pleased that this Government is working to make sure that there are no more Rotherhams. The hard-hitting Tackling Child Sexual Abuse Strategy outlines decisive steps towards ridding out towns of this blight. The freshly published Victims Bill will make sure that the voices of those who suffer will be heard in our criminal justice system. Moreover, the residents of Rotherham and I warmly welcome the government’s recent commitment to crack down on grooming gangs and, in particular, assurances that concerns about political correctness are to be swept aside, so paedophile protectors can no longer look to rely on this paper-thin defence for their spinelessness.
I believe, however, that we can do better and that we have a duty to the victims, survivors, and their families. I believe that no one complicit in the rape of innocent children should be allowed in public office. That is why, later today, I will be presenting the Public Office (Child Sexual Abuse) Bill to close this abhorrent loophole and bar anyone who facilitated, enabled, or turned a blind eye to child sexual abuse from holding any public office, position of authority, or job paid by taxpayer funds. There is no place for paedophiles, or their facilitators, in our Parliament, our councils, our schools, or our hospitals.
Only once we have scourged these villains from our public bodies can the healing process begin, and justice be brought to the victims and their families. To rebuild trust in our public bodies, from the House of Lords to local councils, from NHS hospital trusts to orphanages, we must first remove those who failed to act when they were needed most.