Andrew Norfolk of the Times has won this years Private Eye Paul Foot Award for investigative journalism for his two year investigation into the child sexual exploitation phenomenon in Rotherham and Rochdale. Thoroughly deserved!
The Paul Foot Award 2012 – Winner
Andrew Norfolk
The Times
Child sexual exploitation
Andrew Norfolk’s two-year investigation into the targeting, grooming and sexual exploitation of teenage girls by organised groups of men has prompted two government-ordered inquiries, a parliamentary inquiry and a new national action plan on child sexual exploitation.
The investigation revealed a crime model that police and care agencies refused to recognise – that most of the victims were white and a majority of those in identified abuse networks were men of Pakistani origin.
Andrew Norfolk’s powerful articles revealed how the reluctance of agencies to acknowledge and confront a widespread form of abuse in deprived northern communities had broken families and shattered the lives of some of society’s most vulnerable children.
Andrew Norfolk’s reports consistently ran throughout last year, exposing past failures to protect children and prosecute offenders – when detailed intelligence was held about victims and perpetrators. The campaign has been instrumental in forcing all concerned with the protection of children to give a higher priority to cases of sexual exploitation.
Rotherham Politics 