The Observer view on dealing with child-grooming gangs | Observer editorial

The victims of the horrific events in Huddersfield and other cities are not best served by a polarised debate on race

Rotherham, Rochdale, Oxford, Bristol, Peterborough, Newcastle – and now Huddersfield. These are the places across the country where young girls, failed by those supposed to protect them, have been preyed on by gangs of men who repeatedly rape and abuse them. Every new case that emerges raises the question: how many more are there to come to light?

No words can do justice to the horrific abuse perpetrated by a gang of 20 men in Huddersfield, believed to be Britain’s single biggest grooming prosecution. The men plied vulnerable girls as young as 11, including those in care and with learning disabilities, with alcohol and drugs in order to sexually abuse them. The abuse included men raping intoxicated girls while others watched, sexual abuse with a drinks bottle and gang rape by men using plastic bags as condoms.

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from Children | The Guardian https://ift.tt/2J7l180