Keighley and Ilkley MP Robbie Moore has continued in his fight for a ‘Rotherham-Style’ inquiry into Child Sexual Exploitation in Keighley and the wider Bradford District.
Moore raised this matter in a Parliamentary debate held in the aftermath of the recent publishing of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse. This was a national inquiry which found clear institutional failings from both local councils and police forces in their approach to preventing child sexual exploitation.
Whilst this inquiry only focused on six local authourities, of which Bradford was not included, it did find that Child Sexual Exploitation is happening all over the country. Indeed, only last week six men from Keighley were jailed for a combination of 66 years for continually raping the same underaged girl between 2008 and 2009.
As a result, Moore once again stated the need for a ‘Rotherham-Style’ inquiry into Child Sexual Exploitation in the Bradford District. He noted that this is the only way to discover the true scale of the issue in Keighley, and to hold relevant organisations, including Bradford Council and the West Yorkshire Police, to account for their inaction on the issue, and help provide justice to the victims.
Robbie Moore MP said: “Child Sexual Exploitation is abhorrent, and the inquiry has shown what we already know; that it is happening under everyone’s noses in Keighley and beyond.
However, there is absolutely no doubt that it does not go far enough to addressing this issue, particularly in Keighley. Only a few weeks ago we saw six men prosecuted for raping an underage child in Keighley. It is vital for us to have a ‘Rotherham-Style’ inquiry into Child Sexual Exploitation, so we can finally restore trust, particularly from victims and their families, in the organisations which are supposed to protect them.
It is so frustrating that local leaders, whether that is Bradford Council Leader Susan Hinchcliffe or West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin, continue to reject these calls. Our Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime, Alison Lowe, even said Child Sexual Exploitation ‘isn’t a Bradford problem, it’s a national problem.’
If we are to move forward, we need to better understand the issues locally. I have no idea what they have to fear from backing my calls for a full independent local review so we can finally get to grips with the evil of child sexual exploitation which is unfortunately all too common in Keighley.”
