Offences against Children

(asked on 6th May 2020) - View Source

Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to their response to the petition Release the Home Office's Grooming Gang Review in full, published on 24 April, how many victims of grooming gangs they estimate there have been in the UK since 1998; how much financial support they are providing to each victim per annum; which Minister was responsible for clearing the wording of that response; what plans they have to hold a debate to consider that petition in Parliament; whether they intend to publish any research into such gangs; and if not, why not.


Answered by
Baroness Williams of Trafford Portrait
Baroness Williams of Trafford
Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
This question was answered on 8th June 2020

There is no official definition of ‘grooming gang’ offending and no means of delineating data on offending that might be described in this way from other forms of child sexual exploitation. The Government has estimated that there were approximately 6,850 victims of organised child sexual exploitation in the UK in 2015. This estimate includes all forms of child sexual exploitation and does not distinguish between rape and other sexual offences. It includes organised child sexual exploitation committed by groups and gangs within a range of contexts.

We are determined that all victims and survivors of child sexual abuse, whether they are a child or an adult, can access the specialist support they need. In 2019/20 the government through a number of funding streams provided over £7m for non-statutory organisations providing support to victims and survivors of child sexual abuse across the country. Victims and survivors can access these services throughout their lifetime to help them cope with and, as far as possible, recover from the abuse they have suffered.

We are increasing funding. For example, last month the Ministry of Justice and Home Office launched the Support for Victims and Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse Fund, doubling the value of last year's fund and providing £2.4m over two years to voluntary sector organisations providing direct support to victims and survivors at a national level. Home Office will also shortly be launching a new £2.8m transformation fund to promote and embed best practice in child sexual abuse victim support.

On 19 May, the Home Office announced its plans to publish a paper on group-based child sexual exploitation later this year. The paper, which will be published following engagement with subject matter experts, will bring together the insights gained from the Home Office’s work and set the direction for future policy and research. In announcing these plans the Home Secretary said ‘What happened to these children remains one of the biggest stains on our country’s conscience. It is shameful. I am determined to deliver justice for victims and ensure something like this can never happen again.’

The Home Office’s response to the petition was cleared by the Home Secretary. It has now been revised and re-issued to reflect this decision.

It is for the Petitions Committee to decide whether a petition should be put forward for debate

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