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Yesterday’s parliamentary debate on “grooming gangs” exposed how overt the racism is here. Several politicians used language of far right & many reduced “grooming gangs” to Pakistani heritage men abusing white girls (apparently its only they who are “our girls” & of concern) 1/?
The Government’s child sexual abuse strategy pays lip service to the fact that too little is known about abuse of children from ethnic minorities & how best to support them (similar goes for abuse of boys, children with disabilities, LGBTQ+). 2/?
This is a serious problem that has been highlighted in research into what is effective in tackling child sexual exploitation. Context and nuance matters. 3/? See https://www.dmss.co.uk/pdfs/what-works-in-cse.pdf/
Yet grassroots specialist services often struggling to get funding they need & their important work is frequently overlooked. The new strategy talks the talk but doesn’t make any real commitment to facilitating such vital work. See here: https://bylinetimes.com/2021/02/02/continuing-to-racialise-child-sexual-abuse/ 4/?
Similarly important research that engages with specific groups of minoritised victims doesn’t necessarily get the recognition it deserves. An obvious example is @JahnineDavis groundbreaking work on sexual abuse of black girls. These are “our girls” too. 5/?
Wanted to end by highlighting some important & under-recognised grassroots projects around sexual violence. @ApnaHaq1 @Imkaan @swanempower @AngelouCentre Their work & voices matters & we should all be listening more. Please do add more (cc @Hopetraining @_WaqasTufail ) 6/.
Oh yeah, here are some thoughts on the debate as it unfolded. Links to video & transcript at end. Honestly, it was disgusting - though some hope at least because a few MPs raised important challenges. https://twitter.com/drellac/status/1357019542493540353.
Finally, it’s worth knowing that survivors who’ve stood up against racist stereotyping & dared to highlight the realities of abuse have faced vicious attacks. Shows you how little victims really matter to many of these folks claiming to care about “grooming gangs”. 8/.
