Muslim Women’s Network UK (MWNUK) stands in full solidarity with all victims of child sexual exploitation. We welcome the recommendations made by Baroness Casey in her audit on group-based child sexual exploitation and support her calls for stronger accountability of institutions that have failed victims. We also support strengthening of laws and robust collection of ethnicity data relating to both perpetrators and victims, which will be essential for informed and effective responses to this form of abuse.
MWNUK CEO Baroness Shaista Gohir said: “A national inquiry must examine why early intervention systems failed to protect children including to what extent chronic underfunding of child protection services, along with the attitudes or inaction of frontline professionals, enabled abuse to continue unchecked. While it will also be important to recognise patterns that may exist within specific groups, including drivers that lead to their over-representation, we must not lose sight of the fact that perpetrators and victims come from all backgrounds, and a comprehensive response must reflect that reality.”
MWNUK previously ran a series of awareness-raising events across England, partnering with community organisations to encourage reporting and prevention. We also produced a set of powerful campaign videos, including:
- A survivorstory
- Pakistani men condemning the abuse
- A video in Urdu, tailored for harder-to-reach community members.
In 2013, we published a ground-breaking report titled Unheard Voices – Sexual Exploitation of South Asian Girls. The research was conducted to shed light on the often hidden and overlooked experiences of minority ethnic girls. Our findings reveal that, like their white peers, these girls were targeted due to their vulnerability and accessibility.
*Victims of sexual exploitation can contact Muslim Women’s Network Helpline on 0800 999 5786 / info@mwnhelpline.co.uk or via the Amal Safety Mobile iPhone App.
