Latest news with #ChildSexualExploitation
Sky News
14-06-2025
- Sky News
Why many victims will welcome a national inquiry into grooming gangs
In 2019, nine men were jailed for raping and abusing two teenage girls living in a children's home in Bradford. One of the victims, Fiona Goddard, says more than 50 men raped her. When the government began to talk about offering councils money for local inquiries, Fiona hoped Bradford would be one of the first to take up the offer. But there didn't seem to be much enthusiasm. The council was quick to point out that there had already been an independent case review into Fiona's case, along with four other victims. This, then, was Fiona's first reasoning for wanting a national inquiry: The council felt it had done all that needed to be done. Fiona didn't. The Independent review, published in July 2021, found that while in the children's home, Fiona "went missing almost on a daily basis". The police attitude was that she could look after herself - she was "street-wise". There was "agreement by all agencies that Fiona was either at risk of Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) or actively being sexually abused and exploited". But "this was not addressed by any single agency". And "when Fiona became pregnant at the age of 15, there was little curiosity or enquiry who the father was". So, obvious failings were discovered. The predictable response was that lessons had been learned and new processes put in place. But no one seemed to be held accountable. 3:07 Ms Goddard told Sky News: "In my serious case review she [Jane Booth, the independent chair] found seven incidences at least, in them records that she found, of them not reporting sexual abuse or rape or assault, from as young as eight years old, and one of the incidences I literally turned up covered in blood and they didn't report it. "That is not just misunderstanding a crime, that is making intentional decisions not to report the sexual abuse of a child." She adds: "Let's not forget, these people still work within social services and the police force." Not only did this Independent review not satisfy Fiona, but it also didn't begin to reflect the levels and scale of abuse Fiona had experienced outside of Bradford. Asked where she was trafficked to, Fiona rattles off a list of cities. "Blackburn, Rotherham, Rochdale, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Oldham - never Telford, I'd never even heard of Telford until it all came out if I'm honest - Nottingham, Oxford." Then she remembers she didn't go to Oxford - men from Oxford came to her - but the point is made. Local enquiries can't possibly begin to explore the networks of men who traffic women, often down routes of drug trafficking being done by the same gangs. Bradford Council told Sky News it contributed to the national Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) and published more than 70 reports where child sexual exploitation was discussed and has implemented findings from the independent local review which included Fiona's case. Fiona believes there are numerous connections leading back to Bradford - but victims from each city often believe their abusers are at the centre of it. We've spoken to grooming victims across the country, and in 2022, a case was reopened in Humberside after a Sky News investigation, where we found diary entries, texts, photos, and school reports all indicating that teenage victims had been abused. One of them was "Anna", who also wants a national inquiry. She believes there is a national pattern of police forces not believing victims or even criminalising them instead. Obtaining her own police records using a Subject Access Request (SAR), Anna found officers' attitudes towards her were similar to what we heard with Fiona in Bradford, blaming her abuse and injuries on "lifestyle choices of her own". Anna said: "Every time I look at my Subject Access Request, I still think it's shocking. "It was the same sort of terminology - lifestyle choices, liar, attention seeker, and the majority of it was negative. "It was really rare that I'd come across something where they were actually listening or they were concerned." Humberside Police told us: "As the investigation is active, it is imperative we protect its integrity; as such are unable to comment on aspects of the investigation as this could impact or jeopardise any criminal or judicial proceedings." But it is years now since Anna first reported her abuse, and she believes the police have left it too late to gather evidence. She told Sky News: "I think it's either happening everywhere, or young people have been taken everywhere. "I think the attitudes of the professionals, the police, social services, from what I've heard and seen, they seem very similar in every area." The government-commissioned rapid review by Baroness Casey is due to be published next week and is expected to call for a national inquiry into grooming gangs. Like Anna and Fiona, many victims will welcome Sir Keir Starmer's early response accepting the recommendation. They will want the inquiry to probe into the operations of the perpetrators - who they are and how they are connected. But they will also want clear accountability of the people and organisations who failed to act when they reported their abuse - and an understanding of why, so often, authorities fail to protect these vulnerable girls.
Hans India
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
Oversight Board seeks public opinion to restore or remove child abuse videos on Meta
New Delhi: The independent Oversight Board on Wednesday has sought opinion of general public to restore or remove child abuse videos on Meta. The Board, an independent body of 22 global human rights and freedom of expression experts from across the political spectrum and the world, is reviewing two videos which show teachers hitting children in school settings. 'The review will explore the key tension between sharing content depicting non-sexual child abuse to shed light on wrongdoing and demand accountability, and the need to protect children's safety, dignity, and privacy,' the Board said in a statement. Both videos were initially removed by Meta for violating the Child Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Nudity policy, later one was allowed on the platform 'with a newsworthy allowance and warning screen'. The policy states the company removes content depicting 'real or non-real non-sexual child abuse regardless of sharing intent...' 'Allowing non-sexual child abuse content in an awareness-raising or condemnation context risks re-traumatising the victim, while prohibiting such content may be viewed as infringing on the public's ability to be informed,' said Meta, in its referral to the Board. In view of this, the Oversight Board opened a public comment period and is seeking comments from stakeholders on the complex issues surrounding online depictions of child abuse. The comments are sought on 'the impact on victim, responsibilities of the platform, human rights considerations for content moderation, effects on accountability, and standards for protective reporting'. The public comment window will remain open until 23:59 Pacific Time (12:29 pm IST) on Wednesday May 21, the statement said. It added that the comments can be short, or up to five pages long, and can include links to external sources and research. The comments will 'form a vital part of the Board's decision-making process on whether content should be removed or restored and can help shape our recommendations on how Meta should improve its policies and processes', the Board said.
