A UK Reform lawmaker is demanding a full investigation after the Labour Party rejected Oldham Council’s request for an inquiry into the historic “grooming gangs” scandal that has consisted of decades of ongoing child sexual exploitation.
The inquiry was recently rejected by Jess Phillips, Labour’s safeguarding minister, who claimed that it’s not Parliament’s job to investigate the matter. The Tories felt differently about the decision and eviscerated the Labour Party for its refusal to investigate, which captured the attention of author JK Rowling and tech mogul Elon Musk, who called for Phillips to be imprisoned.
The Oldham Council had asked Parliament to launch an independent investigation into years of child sexual abuse allegedly carried out by “grooming gangs,” or rape gangs in Oldham. The grooming gangs predominately consist of Pakistani Muslim men who allegedly sexually abuse female children and force them into prostitution. Journalist Julie Bindel released an investigative report on the grooming gangs in 2006, but authorities did not want to investigate the allegations out of fear they would be labeled “racist,” according to Bindel.
A 2022 report revealed that Oldham’s child protection services had failed to protect children from reported grooming gangs by “predominately Pakistani offenders.” Oldham Council asked Phillips twice last year to back an independent investigation, the Telegraph reported. Officials in positions of power across several agencies reportedly had knowledge of these alleged child sex trafficking rings, and have been accused of covering up the crimes, according to the investigation.
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