June 16, 2025
In one of the most distressing scandals in modern British history, thousands of girls — some as young as 11 — were groomed, raped and trafficked by organised gangs in towns such as Rotherham, Rochdale, Telford and Oxford. Perhaps most alarming is the fact that authorities were aware of the abuse and yet repeatedly failed to act.
Despite persistent warnings from whistle-blowers, survivors and front-line professionals, police forces, local councils and child protection services neglected to intervene — often citing concerns about reputational harm, community tensions or bureaucratic inertia.
The 2014 Jay Report revealed that over 1,400 children were exploited in Rotherham alone between 1997 and 2013. Many victims were dismissed by authorities as engaging in “lifestyle choices” or being “promiscuous,” while their abusers continued largely unchallenged.
Sammy Woodhouse, a survivor and prominent advocate, shared:
“I begged for help. I was treated like a criminal while the men who abused me were protected. The system made me feel worthless.”
Then Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philip has strongly criticised the systemic failings, calling for a statutory duty to compel public officials to act when children are at risk:
“This was not merely criminal—it was a betrayal. We must hold accountable not only the perpetrators, but those who enabled and concealed the abuse.”
Calls for an independent national inquiry have grown louder, with campaigners citing a culture of fear, misguided political correctness and entrenched bureaucracy as key enablers of the widespread failings.
While successful prosecutions have taken place in several towns, many senior figures who ignored or downplayed the abuse have faced no professional consequences. Some have quietly retired with honours intact.
Emma Jackson, another survivor of the Rotherham abuse, remarked:
“We were children. We were ignored because of who we were and where we came from. We were expendable to them.”
Though discussions about safeguarding reform are ongoing, many survivors are still waiting—not only for justice against their abusers, but also for meaningful accountability from the institutions that failed them.
Following mounting pressure and a damning audit by Baroness Louise Casey, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has announced a full statutory inquiry into group-based child sexual exploitation. The inquiry, to be conducted under the Inquiries Act, will have the power to compel witnesses and evidence, and will coordinate targeted local investigations across England and Wales. Starmer stated: “I have read every single word of Baroness Casey’s report and I am going to accept her recommendation. That is the right thing to do on the basis of what she has put in her audit.”
This is not about reopening old wounds. It is about ensuring the system never again decides that certain children are not worth protecting.
Justice is long overdue. Until it is served, silence itself remains complicit. Who Will Be Held Accountable for Grooming Gang Failures?
