Keighley and Ilkley MP Robbie Moore has renewed his campaign for a full, independent inquiry into child sexual exploitation (CSE) across the Bradford District with the UK’s new Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper.
It comes after the local MP was elected onto the Home Affairs Select Committee in Parliament, which scrutinises the government on immigration, security and crime policy.
During his first appearance on the Committee, Mr Moore told the Home Secretary he feared the scale of child sexual abuse across the Bradford District could be “far greater” than in Rotherham and Rochdale, the subject of previous independent child abuse inquiries.
The local MP pointed to an independent review in Rochdale commissioned by Labour Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham which led to the identification of 96 men as a present risk to children and found young girls were “left at the mercy” of criminal grooming gangs.
Mr Moore is calling for a similar independent inquiry into child sexual abuse in Bradford.
Responding to Mr Moore, the Home Secretary said that the local inquiry in Rochdale was “really important work”, adding “there can’t be any holes barred” on the issue.
“If you’ve got victims and families who are coming forward and identifying serious problems around child sexual abuse, including historic problems…it’s really important that those survivors and those victims have a voice, whether they have that voice at a local or a national level”
Earlier this year, Mr Moore’s campaign gained the support of leading law firm Switalskis, which has represented over 100 women in the Rotherham exploitation scandal.
The firm’s Director, David Greenwood said: “I fear Bradford has its own scandal and it’ll dwarf Rotherham”.
Mr Moore’s campaign stems from more than 4 years of meetings with victims, families, and independent organisations who work closely with survivors of CSE in the area.
The campaign does not currently have the support of Council leader Susan Hinchcliffe, who has argued a review would “not be of additional value”.
The Mayor of West Yorkshire, Tracy Brabin does not currently support an inquiry.
Robbie Moore MP said:
“Over the past 5 years, I have met with countless victims, their families and leading independent organisations across the Bradford District who have worked with victims of child sexual exploitation first-hand.
Their stories have been absolutely devastating, and I urge our local leaders to follow the moral conviction shown by Labour’s Mayor of Greater Manchester and back my longstanding calls for a full, independent inquiry into child sexual exploitation across the Bradford district.
A full inquiry is a crucial step to understanding the scale and intricacies of these crimes, bringing the guilty to justice and formulating a comprehensive strategy locally to take on CSE.
The failures identified in Rotherham and Rochdale have shown us the devastating consequences of ignoring this issue. Victims across the Bradford District cannot be left behind."
ENDS
