Bradford & District | Archive | 2004 | May | 28
From the Telegraph & Argus, first published Friday 28th May 2004.
The decision by Channel 4 executives to shelve a documentary which included the awful story of girls as young as 12 being groomed for prostitution is at best a misreading of the situation.
At its worst it is not only an insult to the maturity of the vast majority of people in this town, but also an attack on freedom of expression which is at the heart of our democracy.
A serious piece of television journalism which looked at a truly horrible crime -- for that is what it is -- helped by those struggling to deal with the devastation it causes, was pulled after fears it could provoke racial violence ahead of the June elections.
Any knee-jerk political correctness reaction to the decision is wrong. It goes so much deeper than that. MP Ann Cryer was the first to raise this issue and put it on the public agenda. It has already been extensively reported on by this and other newspapers.
Applying the reasoning behind the request to the TV company to postpone the broadcast -- which came via police and led to the self-censorship -- should our elected representatives stay silent and not highlight issues for fear of repercussions? Or should they wait for a `safer' times to speak out during which time further offences may be committed? Of course not.
The feeding frenzy which followed the Channel 4 decision has clouded the very real problem. It has left those working to resolve this evil in our midst between a rock and a hard place.
On one side there are extreme political groups who want to use the information as racist propaganda. On the other there are those within Asian groups who say it will stir up racism.
What the decision makers have failed to understand is that this town is mature enough to face up to any problems and deal with them. We do not hide or shirk from responsibilities, especially when it comes to protecting and fighting the corner of the vulnerable, especially children.
No matter what their colour or creed, no-one should be able to hide behind the threats of someone playing the race card. We are talking about crimes that make most decent people feel sick to the pit of their stomachs. This is paedophilia -- there's no other word for it -- and those responsible must eventually be incarcerated for a long time.
As for the views of the British National Party, including one that the film is the best recruiting video they could have hoped for, they are not worth the few centimetres of paper this comment is printed on.
But it is worth repeating the comments of the courageous mother of one of the victims who featured in the Channel 4 film. Her daughter was drugged and raped after being groomed.
She says the cashing-in tactics of the BNP have put the party lower down the pecking order of life than the men abusing children.
You just cannot get any lower than that.
© Newsquest Media Group 2008