Child exploitation in Manchester is a ‘real and ongoing problem’ with victims too often blamed by police, a report warns
A shocking report, written by Stockport MP Ann Coffey, has revealed that child sexual exploitation is becoming ‘the norm’ in Manchester.
In her ‘Real Voices’ report, commissioned in the wake of the 2012 Rochdale sex scandal, Ms Coffey warns that young victims are often blamed for what has happened to them.
In the last six years, there have been only 1,078 convictions out of 12,879 reported cases of sexual offences against children in Greater Manchester.
Ms Coffey said: “My observations will make painful reading for those who hoped that Rochdale was an isolated case. This is a real and ongoing problem.
“I have been concerned about the number of people who have told me that in some neighbourhoods child sexual exploitation had become the new social norm.
“Young people are still too often being blamed for being a victim. We need to get across the key message that whatever young people wear and however sexualised they appear, they are still children and need our protection.”
She added: “The age of consent in this country is 16 and adults who prey on children under that age are always wrong. Unless we get a change in public attitudes it will be difficult to protect children.”
Figures obtained from Greater Manchester Police reveal that many children are still being preyed on.
There are 260 ongoing police investigations into child sexual exploitation which include 174 recorded crimes, of which 18 involve multiple perpetrators.
Whilst writing the report, Ms Coffey was dismayed to find a culture of blame still prevalent within the police, and that these damaging attitudes are failing children.
She was alarmed to find that the Crown Prosecution Service highlighted that one victim wore cropped tops and that another had been described as a ‘slag’ by her father in cases that were declared ‘No Further Action’.
Ms Coffey said: “Police, social workers, prosecutors and juries made up of ordinary people, all carry attitudes around with them. This could go some way to explain why in the past six years in Greater Manchester there have only been about 1,000 convictions out of 13,000 reported cases of serious sexual offences against under 16-year–olds.
“This may reflect the difficulties of prosecuting these cases in court when prevailing public attitudes often still blame children and young people for their own sexual exploitation.”
Greater Manchester Police received 2,286 pieces of intelligence relating to child sexual exploitation in the nine months between March 2013 and January 2014, under a new recording system.
Ms Coffey believes this something to be praised as it shows greater acknowledgment and awareness amongst the public which the police can build upon.
The report recommends that all ‘No Further Action’ cases the Crown Prosecution Service has authorized should be reviewed to pick out areas for learning and training for the future.
It has also been recommended that all police response officers receive child sexual exploitation training, lifting it from 21 per cent now to 100 per cent.
Police and Crime Commissioner, Tony Lloyd said: “This is a challenging report, but it’s also one that’s full of hope. It is clear that agencies who are tasked with keeping our young people safe have made huge mistakes in the past.
“The report makes clear about how far we have come since the terrible events of the Rochdale grooming case, but its recommendations must be implemented if we are serious about righting past wrongs.
“What is striking about this report – which sets it apart from those that have gone before – is that the voices of young people come through loud and clear. For too long their voices were ignored or, worse, dismissed by the system. This report starts to redress that balance.”
He added: “This report isn’t one to sit on the shelf. I believe it can be a catalyst for real change that we cannot ignore. We all have a responsibility to act and the time to do that is now.”
In her report, Ms Coffey prioritised speaking to children and young people and victims during the inquiry and has put their unaltered voices at the front of her report.
The report’s central recommendation is that young people themselves must be part of the solution if we are to be successful in preventing child grooming becoming more prevalent.
To do this there will be a young people-led digital multimedia network centred around a high-profile weekly radio show produced and hosted by them on CSE-related issues.
This will be done in partnership with the youth radio station, Unity Radio, and will be linked to social media and online support.
The project will be supported by a newly formed consortium of charities, which Ms Coffey has brought together for the first time during the inquiry.
The new Greater Manchester Consortium Against Child Sexual Exploitation (GMCASE), includeS the Princes Trust, Barnardos, The Children’s Society and the NSPCC.
Others include St Mary’s Sexual Assault Referral Centre, Survivors Manchester, Parents Against Child Sexual Exploitation, the Railway Children, Missing People and Brook.
Ms Coffey said: “Although we can come up with more effective ways for agencies to work together, the most important thing we can do to protect children is to tackle the cultural attitudes that cocoon sex exploiters and enable them to get away with what they are doing under our noses.
“An important part of that protection is to enable young people to take the lead in the fight against sexual exploitation.
“Isolated children, listening in the dark, who tune in to the show, will know that they are not alone and that there is help out there.”
Image courtesy of Hannah Bouchard, with thanks.
