THE UK government on Thursday announced a national review to assess the scale of child sexual exploitation by grooming gangs and plans to launch new local inquiries into abuse cases.
The issue gained renewed attention earlier this month when a political row erupted between US tech billionaire Elon Musk and prime minister Keir Starmer, centred on historic sex offences involving British girls and men, primarily of South Asian origin, in northern English towns.
Home secretary Yvette Cooper told parliament that the government would conduct a three-month "rapid audit" to understand the current extent and nature of gang-based exploitation across the country.
The review will examine "cultural and societal drivers" of child sexual abuse and include an analysis of ethnicity data and demographics of the gangs and their victims, Cooper said.
In addition to the national review, Cooper announced new local inquiries similar to those conducted in other areas, dismissing opposition Conservative Party calls for a new nationwide inquiry.
"As we have seen, effective local inquiries can delve into far more local detail and deliver more locally relevant answers, and change, than a lengthy nationwide inquiry can provide," she said.
(With inputs from AFP)
FILE PHOTO: Floral tributes are laid following a vigil for the victims of the knife attack in Southport, Britain July 30, 2024. REUTERS/Temilade Adelaja
