:00:49. > :00:51.And here in the North - a minister tells us racial sensitivities
:00:51. > :00:54.shouldn't prevent investigation of child sex grooming and abuse.
:00:54. > :01:04.These Yorkshire mothers of teenage victims agree - they travelled to
:01:04. > :01:04.
:01:04. > :43:00.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 2516 seconds
:43:00. > :43:05.Westminster to lobby MPs - we've a Welcome to the Politics Show in the
:43:05. > :43:10.North. Today we feature one of the most disturbing subjects we've ever
:43:10. > :43:13.tackled on this programme. Claims that girls as young as 12 have been
:43:13. > :43:23.taken off the streets of Yorkshire to be groomed and sexually
:43:23. > :43:32.
:43:32. > :43:37.exploited by older men - and the If I said no or had an argument at
:43:37. > :43:40.all put up a fight, they would be a punishment. And the punishment was
:43:40. > :43:43.always worse than what they had planned in the first place.
:43:43. > :43:46.We speak to the parents of victims who travelled to Westminster to
:43:46. > :43:49.demand tougher action from the Government. And a leading minister
:43:49. > :43:59.tells us why he believes many cases have been hampered by racial
:43:59. > :43:59.
:43:59. > :44:03.sensitivities. I think political correctness and racial
:44:03. > :44:07.sensitivities have in the past been an issue.
:44:07. > :44:11.It is every parent's worst nightmare. To find out your child
:44:11. > :44:17.has been groomed by a gang of older men and forced into a life of
:44:17. > :44:19.prostitution and depravity. That's what happened to Emma, who was just
:44:19. > :44:25.13 when she was drawn into that sordid world, whilst still
:44:25. > :44:28.appearing to enjoy a happy family life. Emma has been speaking to the
:44:28. > :44:30.Politics Show and tells us why she believes many offenders are
:44:30. > :44:40.escaping justice because the police and other authorities aren't taking
:44:40. > :44:51.
:44:51. > :45:01.It all started when I was 12 and had started going to a shopping
:45:01. > :45:01.
:45:01. > :45:05.centre with my friends on the weekend. We started going in
:45:05. > :45:10.hanging around in the arcade, going on the dance machines. We were
:45:10. > :45:16.approached by some boys who were a couple of years older than us. They
:45:16. > :45:22.started to give as alcohol and cannabis. I thought it was quite
:45:22. > :45:27.fun, I was 13 by this time. I knew it was wrong but how was a normal
:45:27. > :45:30.13-year-old who was flattered by a nice-looking lad who I thought was
:45:31. > :45:35.a team with a nice car. Using a pseudonym, and the Jackson has
:45:35. > :45:41.written a book about her ordeal as a teenager in South Yorkshire. She
:45:41. > :45:47.talks about meeting a man who eventually led her into a world of
:45:47. > :45:51.prostitution and abuse. They started ask me to have sex with
:45:51. > :45:58.people perform sexual acts on people. I would get strangers
:45:58. > :46:05.coming to pick me up and phoning me. He also started to rate me once a
:46:05. > :46:09.week every week. It was his way of keeping me in line. If I said no or
:46:09. > :46:12.had an argument or put up a fight, there would be a punishment, and
:46:12. > :46:16.the punishment was always worse than what they had planned and the
:46:16. > :46:26.first place, so it was easier to shut up and put up and get on with
:46:26. > :46:29.
:46:29. > :46:37.it. Cull's father says he was completely unaware. -- Emma's
:46:37. > :46:41.father. You think, how can this happen to us as a family when
:46:41. > :46:48.you're just a normal, everyday family? You go to work, you pay
:46:48. > :46:54.your taxes. Obviously, Emma was my baby. I felt like I had not been
:46:54. > :47:00.there to protect and you stop blaming yourself. Former MP and his
:47:00. > :47:06.familiar with her case. She highlighted what many believe to be
:47:06. > :47:16.a taboo subject. David has certainly made it more possible for
:47:16. > :47:19.men such as these to be prosecuted successfully through the courts.
:47:19. > :47:24.People who've been to me initially about these problems, I arranged
:47:24. > :47:28.for them to meet David Blunkett in a meeting in Leeds. They did, and
:47:28. > :47:32.they were impressed with his responses. The policies were such
:47:32. > :47:38.that he promised to get the alterations which I have mentioned
:47:38. > :47:42.through Parliament. He did what he promised. Earlier this year, the
:47:42. > :47:46.former Labour Home Secretary Jack Straw was like -- widely criticised
:47:46. > :47:55.after claiming that some men are Pakistani origin saw white gulls as
:47:55. > :47:59.easy meat. The Labour peer Lord Ahmed was one of the first
:47:59. > :48:05.politicians to openly talk about gangs of Asian men targeting young
:48:05. > :48:08.girls. He believes the issue should not be swept under the carpet.
:48:08. > :48:16.know I have had a lot of criticism from their own community because I
:48:16. > :48:22.have started talking about it. We need to put it into context. 98 %
:48:22. > :48:27.of the community that is engaged in fantastic work within the UK,
:48:27. > :48:35.whether it is economic, political or social. But there is a small
:48:35. > :48:42.minority involved with criminal activities. This he must crime of
:48:42. > :48:47.messing with young girls is outrageous -- is outrageous crime.
:48:48. > :48:51.The men who targeted Emma whenever brought to justice despite his
:48:51. > :48:54.signed confession from one of their alleged abuses. The police also
:48:54. > :49:01.revealed a number of items of clothing which could have provided
:49:01. > :49:11.crucial DNA evidence were lost. Cull now works with other girls who
:49:11. > :49:16.
:49:16. > :49:22.had been robbed of their innocence. They say, something happened last
:49:22. > :49:26.night, I took something and I'm not sure how I feel about the situation.
:49:26. > :49:29.13 year-olds are not going to come forward and say that and that is
:49:29. > :49:31.why it they prey on them. Later we'll hear from the
:49:31. > :49:34.Children's Minister, who admits that in the past, political
:49:34. > :49:39.correctness and racial sensitivities have been an issue.
:49:39. > :49:42.Before then, we follow a group of parents on a journey to Westminster.
:49:42. > :49:49.A journey they hope will lead to a greater awareness of what needs to
:49:49. > :49:59.be done to tackle the problem of child sexual exploitation. Sean
:49:59. > :50:03.Stowell reports. Early morning in Leeds, and a
:50:03. > :50:08.delegation gathers to board a coach for Westminster. Most of these
:50:08. > :50:12.women, we cannot identify. Their daughters were groomed and then
:50:12. > :50:17.experienced sexual abuse and violence no parents would ever want
:50:17. > :50:24.to imagine. Their lives and those of their daughters and families
:50:24. > :50:29.have been devastated. Our daughter was targeted at the age of 12. As a
:50:29. > :50:33.family, we suffered three years of health and to we managed to extract
:50:33. > :50:37.her from these very powerful perpetrators. The women want
:50:37. > :50:43.politicians to listen and understand how a child sexual
:50:43. > :50:53.exploitation begins and take hold. The grooming process is that they
:50:53. > :50:53.
:50:53. > :51:36.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 2516 seconds
:51:36. > :51:41.get them with fancy cars. They may They arrive at Westminster with
:51:41. > :51:48.nerves jangling. Most have never spoken a team meeting before. The
:51:48. > :51:52.organisers of the lobby are pushing for more local authorities to
:51:52. > :51:57.develop strategies to deal with child sexual exploitation. Only a
:51:57. > :52:01.quarter currently have one. They also want MPs to oppose government
:52:01. > :52:05.cuts which have hit children's charities hard. And they want to
:52:05. > :52:12.increase parental involvement. Research shows support for parents
:52:13. > :52:19.helps keeps -- helps keep families together. The the meeting takes
:52:19. > :52:26.place behind closed doors. Numbers of politicians are down because of
:52:26. > :52:30.an important government statement. Because there weren't many people
:52:30. > :52:34.there because other issues are being debated at the moment, that
:52:34. > :52:39.was a bit disappointing, but the politicians who were there
:52:39. > :52:46.responded quite positively and were quite shocked at the stories that
:52:46. > :52:51.were coming out from parents like myself. We were threatened with
:52:51. > :52:56.being attacked, our house was vandalised. She was terrified
:52:56. > :53:01.because she was afraid something would happen to others. It is
:53:01. > :53:07.something people don't want to understand. It is to terrific --
:53:07. > :53:11.too horrific to acknowledge this happens in our country.
:53:11. > :53:16.parents' stories were incredibly powerful. We got the point across
:53:16. > :53:22.we wanted to, which is in many ways about implementation, awareness
:53:22. > :53:25.raising and contacting children sports. A relatively small
:53:25. > :53:31.investment in an organisation like this will yield a massive savings
:53:31. > :53:34.in the reduction in future exploitation. I think you have to
:53:34. > :53:38.raise the profile of an issue that a lot of people don't want to talk
:53:38. > :53:45.about because it brings shame to them and their families. It is a
:53:45. > :53:52.great credit to the parents there today. Measuring success is easy
:53:52. > :53:59.for this charity - it is the number of people rescued from a life of
:53:59. > :54:01.drugs and sexual exploitation. Over the past five months, the
:54:01. > :54:05.national agency responsible for child protection, CEOP, has been
:54:05. > :54:08.looking into the problem of child grooming. Its report is due to be
:54:08. > :54:11.published in the next few days and is expected to reveal that the
:54:11. > :54:16.scale of the problem has been hugely underestimated in recent
:54:16. > :54:26.times. Len Tingle has been finding out what's being done to prevent
:54:26. > :54:28.
:54:28. > :54:32.more young people falling into this terrible trap.
:54:32. > :54:37.That report is certainly exercising minds here at Westminster as
:54:37. > :54:43.politicians work out exactly where to go from here. Diana Johnson was
:54:43. > :54:45.a minister in the schools, children and Family Department under the
:54:45. > :54:50.Labour administration. She is currently the shadow police
:54:50. > :54:54.minister. I think there probably is under reporting of this and one
:54:54. > :54:59.thing that occurs to me is the importance schools and teachers
:54:59. > :55:03.being able to talk to your people about what is happening and use
:55:03. > :55:10.that information and be confident that actually things should not be
:55:10. > :55:14.happening around grooming of children. I think schools and
:55:14. > :55:19.education are important parts of this. Unfortunately, the government
:55:19. > :55:22.is taking a limited view of what education and schools can do. I
:55:23. > :55:30.think most people would say it is an important arena for children to
:55:30. > :55:40.disclose important information. It needs to be a dress -- addressed by
:55:40. > :55:44.
:55:44. > :55:54.properly addressing the problem. got me taking drugs. Britain's
:55:54. > :55:58.biggest children since charity launched this chilling advert aimed
:55:58. > :56:04.to persuade the government that a co-ordinated approach was needed to
:56:04. > :56:09.stop the grinning and sexual exploitation of children. The
:56:09. > :56:12.charity is working with families and victims across the country.
:56:13. > :56:22.welcome as many voices talking about this as a hidden issue,
:56:23. > :56:23.
:56:23. > :56:28.because that is what it is. Only 89 convictions at of 2756 victims in
:56:28. > :56:32.2009 - it is not a surprise that many people don't recognise this as
:56:32. > :56:41.a child protection issues. Diana Johnson has other concerns,
:56:41. > :56:45.particularly plans to merge CEOP with a wider Agency. It is an
:56:45. > :56:49.expert body on looking at this issue and I think it should stand
:56:49. > :56:53.alone and get the resources it needs to carry on. I don't agree it
:56:53. > :56:57.should go into the National crime agency. I would certainly make sure
:56:57. > :57:02.the resources are there for this particular dreadful crime to be
:57:02. > :57:06.actually prosecuted and to be investigated properly by police.
:57:06. > :57:10.Organisations like Barnardo's say a better future can only be obtained
:57:10. > :57:16.by taking the politics out of the issue and stopping the damaged to
:57:16. > :57:19.vulnerable victims. It is not the only voice making that plea. I have
:57:20. > :57:24.reclaimed the agenda from the BNP and the Far Right. They have taken
:57:24. > :57:27.so much advantage on this particular issue, which has damaged
:57:28. > :57:31.our relations in this country between communities. I have been
:57:31. > :57:36.able to take that away. Now, the issue is not about race, it is
:57:36. > :57:42.about these evil men and about protecting young girls. I'm getting
:57:42. > :57:46.on better with my mum now. She picks me up after counselling. I
:57:46. > :57:50.have made some new friends. what are the families and friends
:57:50. > :57:55.of young, vulnerable people do if they feel in danger? He did they
:57:55. > :57:59.turn to? Our website this week lists agencies baking go to for
:57:59. > :58:04.support and advice. The government says his conversations with
:58:04. > :58:09.agencies and interested parties is well under way. It expects to have
:58:09. > :58:11.a policy later this year. The Government agreed to take a
:58:11. > :58:15.closer look at this problem following a recent case in Derby,
:58:15. > :58:16.where a number of young girls were targeted by a paedophile gang. The
:58:16. > :58:24.investigation was codenamed Operation Retriever. I've been
:58:24. > :58:27.speaking to the Children's Minister Tim Loughton. I asked him whether
:58:27. > :58:37.he shared the frustration of many parents in Yorkshire that so few
:58:37. > :58:38.
:58:39. > :58:42.cases have resulted in prosecution. I entirely understand the
:58:42. > :58:49.frustration those families who have been unfortunate enough to have
:58:49. > :58:53.family members involved in this horrible process have felt. It
:58:53. > :58:58.recently, we have seen a lot of police resources targeted on
:58:58. > :59:03.busting some of these gangs who are involved in this process. This is
:59:03. > :59:09.up and down the country, not just in big cities. I think it is
:59:09. > :59:12.happening in rural areas up and down the length of the UK. What we
:59:12. > :59:17.needed do is firstly raise the profile of it, because we all have
:59:17. > :59:21.a duty here, we all need to watch out for any signs of this.
:59:21. > :59:24.Operation Retriever was intelligence brought forward by
:59:24. > :59:30.some local voluntary groups to enable the police to get at the
:59:30. > :59:34.bottom of what was going on. So I want to make sure we have a co-
:59:34. > :59:40.ordinated action plan that I as a minister will be working on it over
:59:40. > :59:44.the summer and autumn. Many cases in the North of England have
:59:44. > :59:52.involved Asian men. Do you believe there has been a reluctance in some
:59:52. > :59:57.quarters to discuss this because of perceived race will -- perceived
:59:57. > :00:02.racial sensitivities? If there is, it has to stop. I don't care where
:00:02. > :00:12.these people are, what they ate my origins are, I want this to be
:00:12. > :00:15.
:00:15. > :00:19.stopped. -- what they ate racial origins are. Racial background is
:00:19. > :00:28.not the biggest consideration. The priority is to make sure children
:00:28. > :00:33.are safe wherever they are. They must be saved from whatever group
:00:33. > :00:36.are exploiting them. In many cases, we are dealing with closed
:00:36. > :00:41.communities, closed in terms of things being able to go on under
:00:41. > :00:45.the radar and away from the public eye. And closed as well in terms of
:00:45. > :00:48.a reluctance of certain victims and their families to want to come
:00:48. > :00:52.forward and report in case it gets them into trouble with other
:00:52. > :00:57.members of their community. We have to work to make sure that everybody
:00:57. > :01:02.is aware that this is a problem and that everybody is encouraged to
:01:02. > :01:06.come forward and report abuse where they see it, because it does not
:01:06. > :01:12.affect just that one family, because those abuses, because of
:01:12. > :01:17.the nature of this organised network of abuse, will affect many
:01:17. > :01:22.other dozens of children in the locality as well. So everybody has
:01:22. > :01:25.a duty of care to come forward with whatever information will enable
:01:25. > :01:31.the police, the government and other agencies to get to the bottom
:01:31. > :01:35.of the criminals. They are committing ghastly crimes against
:01:35. > :01:41.honourable, young children. Do you believe in the past some
:01:41. > :01:44.investigations have been hampered by political correctness? I think
:01:44. > :01:49.political correctness and racial sensitivities have in the past been
:01:49. > :01:53.an issue and I want to send out a message loud and Clear - this is
:01:53. > :01:58.what I have been doing since the round table where this was brought
:01:58. > :02:03.together. Although we need to be aware of certain characteristics of
:02:03. > :02:13.various ethnic communities, and sensitive and sensible as to how we
:02:13. > :02:13.
:02:13. > :02:17.deal with them, it is not an excuse for us not investigating rigorously
:02:17. > :02:22.any abuse that may be going on. There is no hiding place for
:02:22. > :02:29.criminals who sexually abused and exploited children and young people,
:02:29. > :02:33.wherever they come from. I won a message to go out loud and clear. -
:02:33. > :02:37.- I want that message. We will seek you out and bring you to justice,
:02:37. > :02:44.no matter what community you come from. And I want everybody to help
:02:44. > :02:49.in that process. We all have a duty of care. The Children's Minister