UK grooming gangs inquiry ‘must confront uncomfortable truths'

Yahoo3 days ago

The national inquiry into grooming gangs 'must be fearless in confronting uncomfortable truths' after too many girls 'were failed by the very institutions charged with their protection', the victims' commissioner for England and Wales has said.
The government confirmed on Monday that it would set up a statutory inquiry and accept all 12 recommendations of Lady Casey's rapid review of the issue. The home secretary, Yvette Cooper, told the Commons: 'We cannot and must not shy away from these findings.'
The victims' commissioner, Helen Newlove, said: 'This inquiry must be fearless in confronting uncomfortable truths.
'Too many girls were failed by the very institutions charged with their protection. This is our chance to lift the stone, expose those failures, and ensure they are never repeated.
'Victims must remain at the heart of this work. Sharing experiences of child sexual abuse is deeply personal and often retraumatising. Thousands came forward to the independent inquiry into child sexual abuse – often for the first time – yet years on, too little has changed. We must not repeat those mistakes.'
The children's commissioner for England, Rachel de Souza, said the girls at the heart of this scandal 'have been failed by every professional in their lives'.
She added: 'They, and the institutions that were intended to protect them, ignored their voices and sidelined their experiences. They must be held accountable for turning a blind eye to a sustained campaign of violence against young girls by predatory men.
'This is a source of national shame – I've been clear nothing can be off the table in pursuing justice for the victims.'
In the House of Commons on Monday, the Conservative leader, Kemi Badenoch, said the announcement of the inquiry was 'another U-turn' by the government and an 'extraordinary failure of leadership'.
She said: 'After months of pressure the prime minister has finally accepted our calls for a full statutory national inquiry into the grooming gangs.
'I welcome that we have finally reached this point. This is a victory for the survivors who have been calling for this for years.'
The Metropolitan police deputy assistant commissioner Helen Millichap, who is also the director of the national centre for violence against women and girls and public protection, said Casey's report included several recommendations with implications for policing that would now be considered.
'We are sorry to all those who have experienced child sexual abuse and exploitation,' she said. 'The pain, trauma, and long-lasting impact experienced by victims and survivors is immeasurable.
'We recognise that for too long, your voices went unheard, and opportunities to protect some of the most vulnerable members of our communities were missed.'
Nazir Afzal, the chief crown prosecutor for the north-west from 2011 to 2015, questioned the efficacy of national inquiries.
He told BBC Radio 4: 'Only criminal investigations can bring real accountability. That's what needs to happen. Not just for those who offended, but also those who stood by and didn't do what they were meant to do.
'Unfortunately my experience with national inquiries is that they take for ever and don't deliver accountability.'

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Carney Bill to Speed Projects Passes Vote Despite Indigenous Opposition

Bloomberg

2 hours ago

Bloomberg

Carney Bill to Speed Projects Passes Vote Despite Indigenous Opposition

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The assisted dying debate has been politics – but not as we know it

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3 hours ago

Yahoo

The assisted dying debate has been politics – but not as we know it

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Canada Bill to Accelerate Projects Passes Vote Despite Indigenous Opposition