Child Rape Gangs
Debate between Baroness Hazarika and Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent
Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent (Lab)
My Lords, I am so sorry to hear of the experiences of the noble Lord’s sister. I can only send my heartfelt support for her.
The Home Office has doubled funding for supporting adult survivors, which is incredibly important when we consider the genuine scale of the issue. The British crime survey last year said that 11.5% of women had experienced child sexual abuse under the age of 16—these figures are horrendous.
With regard to the question about perpetrators of crime, in January, the Home Secretary announced the national audit by the noble Baroness, Lady Casey, on group-based sexual exploitation and abuse, which is in its final stages. The audit will improve national understanding of the scale, nature and profile of group-based violence, including the characteristics and ethnicity.
Baroness Hazarika (Lab)
My Lords, on the comments that were just made, I begin by saying that as a British Muslim I was absolutely disgusted by the stories that have emerged about these grooming gangs. On behalf of my community, I would like to apologise for these sickening, despicable, wicked acts. Please believe me that many of us in the Muslim community are as absolutely appalled as the noble Lord or anyone else. This is not who we are. Many of these men, by the way, were abusing Muslim women as well as white women.
Tonight, a film called “Groomed: A National Scandal” will be broadcast on Channel 4, in which victims of these sickening crimes by Pakistani gangs will tell their stories, and I hope that we will all watch it. The filmmaker Anna Hall has covered this story for more than 20 years; she is a leading expert. She argues that local inquiries are important but that a new public inquiry is not needed now as it could cause delays and that the seven-year Alexis Jay inquiry produced a good report. When will this Government crack on and implement the Jay recommendations, in particular a national child protection agency? If the Tories care so much about this issue, why did the previous Government fail to take any action on the Jay report for more than two years?
Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent (Lab)
I, for one, will definitely watch the documentary outlined by my noble friend, after this evening’s votes. On the action we will take, some of the recommendations made by Professor Jay are very complex, including the creation of a child protection agency; it requires further work and consultation with victims. This Government want to take a victim-centred approach and we are working with all key stakeholders to develop the CPA. We want to make sure that we build it incrementally, with clarity on the end state—that is the right approach and one that, I believe, Professor Jay agrees with.
Schools: Music and Drama Access
Debate between Baroness Hazarika and Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent
Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent (Lab)
I am very disappointed in the tone of the question. We have requested and engaged Professor Becky Francis to come forward and look at this in the round. We are using evidence gathered by the last two reviews on education and culture, which the noble Baroness was involved with. We look forward to working with key partners as soon as we have the outcome of the review. What is delivered next will be of key importance.
Baroness Hazarika (Lab)
My Lords, it is very important to get music and drama into the classroom. Does my noble friend the Minister agree that it is also very important to get kids into museums, art galleries, theatres and concert halls so that, from a young age, all children, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds, feel that they can enjoy these cultural spaces? What plans are there for visits from schools to cultural institutions?
Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent (Lab)
I thank my noble friend for her question. Through Arts Council England, we are investing £444 million each year into arts throughout England in our national portfolio, and 79% of the portfolio is targeted at activity specifically for young people and for children. With regard to school trips, which many children will be undertaking this week, while we do not set an expectation on them, we value the added cultural experiences that they give, celebrate them and encourage every school to participate.