'We need facts, we need support for survivors, and we need those in authority to act' - Rotherham MP gives evidence in grooming gangs inquiry

Sarah Champion, Member of Parliament for Rotherham, has given written evidence to the inquiry, and stated that she has campaigned on behalf of victims and survivors of historical child sexual abuse, and child sexual exploitation.

In her evidence, Ms Champion states that following the release of the Jay Report, she was "shocked by the extent of institutional failures", and that many survivors had been in contact to share their story.

Her evidence stated: "I also began to receive correspondence from CSE survivors from across the UK, and from various professionals (for example, nurses, taxi drivers and retired police officers) who had come into contact with cases of CSE since the early 1960s.

"I believed these reports were indicative of a national problem with CSE that appears to have been present for decades without having been properly recognised or dealt with."

The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, chaired by Professor Alexis Jay OBE, was set up because of serious concerns that "some organisations had failed and were continuing to fail to protect children from sexual abuse.”

The inquiry, which began on September 21 and is scheduled to last for two weeks, aims to examine what went wrong and why, and will use evidence gathered to protect children in the future.

The Jay Report, published in 2014, revealed that around 1,400 children were sexually exploited from 1997-2013, including the rape of girls as young as 11 by "large numbers of male perpetrators".

Children were trafficked to other towns and cities across the north of England, beaten, intimidated, and groomed, the report found.

The report said the "collective failures" of political and officer leadership were "blatant", and found that social care bosses "underplayed" the seriousness of the issue.

Sarah Champion commented: “I desperately hope the inquiry will lead to a deeper understanding of this specific crime so that we can better protect children and disrupt abusers before they ruin lives.

"People have very fixed ideas when it comes to grooming gangs; about who the victims are and the motivations of the perpetrators. To be honest, most of this is based on misconceptions and does little to prevent the crime.

"The truth is, all children have vulnerabilities that can be preyed upon. There has simply not been enough research to have a really understanding of what drives this abuse.

"We need evidence, we need facts, we need support for survivors, and we need those in authority to act.”