Muslim teams urge Suella Braverman to withdraw ‘irresponsible and divisive’ grooming gang feedback

Suella Braverman has been urged to withdraw “divisive” feedback round little one sexual exploitation (CSE) by dozens of medical our bodies, companies and Muslim group organisations, Sky News can reveal.

Quite a few Muslim organisations throughout the nation have written to Rishi Sunak to specific “deep concern” at what they branded “irresponsible and divisive rhetoric” from the house secretary.

Among the criticism of the house secretary is that her feedback round grooming gangs, which had been aired in a sequence of interviews final week, amounted to “inflammatory and divisive rhetoric that is sensationalist and contradicts her own department’s evidence”.

In feedback that generated a heavy backlash, Ms Braverman advised Sky News’ Sophy Ridge on Sunday programme: “What’s clear is that what we’ve seen is a practice whereby vulnerable white English girls, sometimes in care, sometimes who are in challenging circumstances, being pursued and raped and drugged and harmed by gangs of British Pakistani men who’ve worked in child abuse rings or networks.

“It’s now all the way down to the authorities to trace these perpetrators down with out worry or favour relentlessly and convey them to justice.”

She additionally claimed Labour-run areas didn’t cease little one grooming gangs over fears they’d be known as “racist”.

In a sequence of joint letters to the prime minister, Muslim leaders from throughout the nation have urged the prime minister to “separate himself” from Ms Braverman’s feedback, which they known as on her to withdraw.

Dr Shahid Latif, chair of the British Pakistani Psychiatrists Association who signed one of many letters, advised Sky News: “What we would like immediately, we would like a withdrawal of this statement.

“There is not any different manner about this, and the PM wants to come back out and separate himself from these feedback, he should realise these feedback trigger nothing however division.

“Muslims in this country are just coming out from being synonymised with terrorism. This is actually going back to square one and starting all over again, so when people think about child sexual exploitation, the first think they link to that is British Pakistanis.”

The Muslim Women’s community, which has labored with Asian victims of Child sexual exploitation, mentioned Ms Braverman’s “approach…of demonising an entire community and lending credibility to far-right narratives undermines the need to ensure all victims of CSE are protected and all perpetrators are bought to justice”, whereas group organisations throughout England, Wales and Scotland labelled it “an act of collective punishment for the reprehensible acts of a few”.

Medical professionals with frontline expertise of working with victims additionally raised alarm bells concerning the Home Secretary’s strategy, saying “it enables these heinous crimes to continue by focusing on political exhibitionism instead of implementing impactful action that is evidence-based”.

A Home Office-commissioned examine in 2020 discovered that group-based little one sexual exploitation offenders are mostly white.

Ms Braverman’s feedback got here as the federal government unveiled a raft of measures aimed toward tackling little one sexual abuse.

It mentioned it laws to make being the chief of, or concerned in, a grooming gang a statutory aggravating issue throughout sentencing, which might permit judges handy down more durable punishments.

Meanwhile, folks working with kids in England could have a brand new authorized obligation to report data or suspicions of kid intercourse abuse.

Ms Braverman has been defended by Mr Sunak, who mentioned inquiries into grooming gang incidents in Rochdale, Rotherham and Telford confirmed that victims had been ignored actually because folks didn’t wish to be “culturally insensitive” or due to political correctness.

Ahead of launching a taskforce of specialist officers, Mr Sunak mentioned: “For too lengthy, political correctness has stopped us from hunting down vile criminals who prey on kids and younger ladies.

Read extra:
‘Political correctness’ is not going to cease crackdown on ‘vile’ grooming gangs, says Sunak
Reporting indicators of kid intercourse abuse to be necessary for folks working with kids, says house secretary

A Home Office spokesperson advised Sky News: “The house secretary has been clear that each one despicable little one abusers have to be delivered to justice. And she is not going to draw back from telling onerous truths, notably in relation to the grooming of younger ladies and ladies in Britain’s cities who’ve been failed by authorities over many years.

“As the home secretary has said, the vast majority of British-Pakistanis are law-abiding, upstanding citizens but independent reports were unequivocal that in towns like Rochdale, Rotherham and Telford cultural sensitivities have meant thousands of young girls were abused under the noses of councils and police.

“That’s why we have now introduced a raft of measures, together with a brand new police taskforce and necessary reporting, to make sure this horrific scandal can by no means occur once more, and convey members of grooming gangs to justice for the victims.”