It could be straight from the pages of a second rate work of fiction.
In the Advertiser Friday 1st February 2013 cabinet member for cohesion Cllr Mahroof Hussain MBE is reported to have denied that fears of offending certain groups had hampered Rotherham’s approach to Child Sexual Exploitation.
He said “ We don`t care what religion colour or creed people are, if they commit grooming offences they should be charged and prosecuted to the maximum extent, We don`t tiptoe around it”
Don`t tiptoe around it?
From the minutes of a Rotherham Local Safeguarding Children’s Board meeting:
”There are sensitivities of ethnicity with the potential to endanger the harmony of community relationships. Great care will be taken in drafting…this report to ensure that its findings embrace Rotherham’s qualities of Diversity. It is imperative that suggestions of a wider cultural phenomenon are avoided”
From the same Board, one of the factors that influenced the way the Board would manage the release of the report into the tragic death of Laura Wilson:
The impact on community cohesion.
Put the above into the context of the view from HASC member MP David Winnick you do have to ask what is going on?
Labour MP David Winnick said “the general impression” is that those alleged to be involved with child abuse in Rotherham “have been able to get away with their vile activity, without sufficient pressure from the authorities”.
Moving onto the governance of the Rotherham taxi trade, evidence that it has not been as robust as it should have been, again from the minutes of the Local Children’s Safeguarding Board:
Concern was also expressed regarding the recent case of a taxi driver who has had his CRB (Criminal Records Bureau) record cleared, despite there being intelligence on him with regard to child protection concerns.
A real anxiety for those supporting children subjected to grooming and abuse is that the children are reluctant to come forward in the fear of not being believed.
Therefore in the current climate it’s hard to comprehend that a Twitter feed would carry this deeply offensive headline:
Exposing the lies and half truths on Child exploitation
It would be interesting to find out whom in Rotherham distributed it and why, more importantly have any followers of the accounts taken those behind the offensive headline to task?
As it’s Rotherham, probably not.
Cerberus.
Rotherham Politics 
From Chris Longley MBE
“Exposing the lies and half truths on Child exploitation”
At the moment there is little hard evidence in the public domain about (a) what decisions were taken, (b) by whom such decisions were taken and (c) on what basis such decisions were taken about the systematic abuse and rape of Rotherham children over a period of more than half a decade.
That is why I have suggested very strongly (see an earlier entry on this blog) to the Home Affairs Select Commitee that they insist that RMBC must provide a full sequence of unredacted Reports, Agendas and Minutes of every meeting of the Rotherham Safeguarding Children’s Board/Group for the full period during which Councillor Wright was the chair of that body.
This will allow the Select Committee to see the time line of the decisions that were taken, and which decisions were taken by elected members and which were taken by officials. If any decisions were taken on any basis other than the welfare of the children to whom those decisions applied, it will then be for the appropriate body to decide whether those decisions were lawful and/or culpable. I am sure the Select Committee would have no difficulty alerting the Crown Prosecution Service if it believed such an alert was necessary.
I repeat my view that it would be inappropriate for Councillor Wright to give evidence at the Select Committee until the Select Committee has received and analysed the full and unredacted set of necessary Reports, Agendas and Minutes.
If the Reports, Agendas and Minutes are delayed in their arrival at the Select Committee it would be most unfortunate.
Kind regards to all
Chris Longley MBE
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Names are being linked to the distribution of the insensitive Twitter headline, exposing the lies and half truths on child exploitation (CSE).
Not good, especially when you think that RMBC are orgnising a CSE conference at Magna on Friday 8th March.
The Labour Party must take immediate action to distance the party and RMBC from the comments, if not they are culpable.
Those involved must face censure!
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“Great care will be taken in drafting…this report to ensure that its findings embrace Rotherham’s qualities of Diversity”
Methinks, we all know what this actually means? Cover-up and concealment of the facts, by means of ‘careful drafting’!
Little wonder then that the suffering goes on to this day!
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I have still not been pointed towards RMBC’s supposed high profile tackling of CSE – any ideas?
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They are just words – no action!
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Thanks Rik but I am finding it hard even to track down any words!!!!
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That must be down to ‘careful drafting’?
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Thought yorkshire folk were famous for their plain speaking? Oh for a bit of humble honesty!
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Selection panel please note.
Aspirant MP, not a chance!
Just goes to show how out of touch Hussain is.
Well done Sarah Champion!
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