Bradford & District | Archive | 2004 | August | 26
From the Telegraph & Argus, first published Thursday 26th Aug 2004.
The disturbing documentary, Edge Of The City, which depicts the sexual grooming of girls as young as 11 in Keighley, has shocked not only veteran police and social workers but also the programme-makers.
Two years ago police and social services launched an in-depth probe into the sexual exploitation and abuse of young girls in the town by groups of overwhelmingly-Asian men.
Many of those involved were astonished by the extent of the practice. One social services office was dealing with 70 separate complaints. One 13-year-old girl had had more than 100 sexual partners.
Equally worrying for many of the professionals involved was the fact that most of the young girls did not regard their treatment as abusive or themselves as victims. Despite being plied with drink and sometimes the date rape drug GHB, the girls often viewed the men as their boyfriends, in some cases developing close emotional attachments.
As well as exposing the extent of abuse in the Keighley area, the programme examines the work of Bradford social workers.
Speaking exclusively to the Telegraph & Argus, Bradford's director of social services Alison O'Sullivan insisted that despite the extent of the exploitation, the abuse was not considered to be systematic.
Ms O'Sullivan said what was happening in Keighley was typical of what was happening elsewhere in the country.
"It's not unique to Keighley," she said. "It's not unique to Bradford. And it's not unique nationally.
"All parts of the country are coping with child-protection concerns involving young people being groomed for sexual exploitation. I'm concerned that the work shown will be taken out of context and people will make the wrong assumptions that this is a widespread problem.
"However, I'm not minimising the fact that this is of great concern."
Ms O'Sullivan gave a unique insight into how the two-year inquiry into sex abuse had been conducted by social services and the police. She explained that child-protection investigations always involved a multi-agency approach. As well as police and social workers, teachers were involved along with community and voluntary organisations such as youth clubs.
"Within the bounds of confidentiality the information is shared to gain a picture of the young person and their circumstances," she said. "We talk very early on to members of that person's family. Where there are allegations of a criminal offence we work hand in glove with the police."
Ms O'Sullivan said there were about 250 children on the child-protection register in the Bradford area, which she said was "about average for a city of this size." She said the figure varied between 220 and 300.
Two years ago police were drawn into the investigation and launched Operation Parsonage to specifically target the abusers. During their inquiry they used highly sophisticated software to gain a picture of the networks of men involved.
Another key figure in unmasking the predatory groups of men in Keighley is the town's MP Ann Cryer who began examining the issue of abuse more than two years ago. "It wasn't an easy subject to approach," she said. "It could give a way of attacking the Asian community. But I was horrified. People said this had been going on for years."
Mrs Cryer accused both the police and social services of being slow to investigate the abuse issues in the early stages. This was why she had agreed to Channel 4's request to participate in a programme.
"But we've moved on," she said. "Bradford social services are far more proactive. A lot of recruiting was going on near schools so schools have become more proactive too."
© Newsquest Media Group 2008