Content
Skip to Main ContentAccessibility Help
The Current

The abuse of 1400 young girls in Rotherham, England has led to a tough debate over how sexual abuse and issues of race are handled

Unfathomable crimes, committed for more than a decade, against hundreds of young women and girls. How could it happen in Rotherham, England of all places? The reasons may be almost as disturbing as the crimes....
CBC Radio ·
The Current24:09Was the Rotherham sex abuse scandal in the UK a case of political correctness gone wrong? - September 8, 2014
Unfathomable crimes, committed for more than a decade, against hundreds of young women and girls. How could it happen in Rotherham, England of all places? The reasons may be almost as disturbing as the crimes.

What we have seen in Rotherham is deeply shocking, and as I have said demonstrates a failure in the local government system there, in the childrens' services department, and in policing, and all those issues need to be addressed.British Prime Minister David Cameron

Many Canadians likely never heard of Rotherham before British Prime Minister David Cameron's angry reaction to the sex crimes in the community. And now, Rotherham is a synonym for incomprehensible abuse.


A damning report suggests as many as 1400 young women and girls were sexually abused by gangs over a 16 year period. An independent inquiry is now set up to look into how and why the abuse went unstopped and why the systems failed.

The report also reveals a reason why authorities failed to respond. It says they didn't act for fear of being labelled racist.


- Alexis Jay is the author of the independent report into Child Sexual Exploitation in Rotherham and led the investigation. She will serve as an advisor to the panel leading the inquiry.

- Pragna Patel is the Director of Southall Black Sisters, a not for profit organization that helps asian and black women and children escape violence and abuse.


There has been political fallout from the scandal. The Rotherham Council Leader has resigned as leader -- although he still holds his council seat. And three Labour councillors and one former councillor have been suspended by the national Labour party. In addition, city councillors in neighbouring Sheffield have unanimously backed a no-confidence vote in the county's police and crime commissioner, who has faced mounting calls to resign.


We put in calls to the Rotherham Council and the South Yorkshire Police, who cover Rotherham. They declined to speak with us.


Send us your thoughts on anything you hear on The Current.

Tweet us @thecurrentcbc. Or e-mail us through our website. Find us on Facebook. Call us toll-free at 1 877 287 7366. And as always if you missed anything on The Current, grab a podcast.

This segment was produced by The Current's Sarah Grant.

More from this episode