Investigations into past cases of rape and sexual exploitation of minors by criminal gangs have been announced by the British government of Kire Starmer, following strong criticism from Elon Musk.
The cases that will come under scrutiny rocked several cities in England from the late 1990s to the early 2010s. Back then, gangs whose members were mainly men of Pakistani origin attacked underage girls, mostly from disadvantaged backgrounds.
In Rotherham in northern England alone, nearly 1,500 minors were drugged, raped and sexually exploited by just one of these gangs over a 16-year period between 1997 and 2013.
Controversy in Parliament
At a time when the Conservative opposition is calling for a national inquiry, Home Secretary Ivette Cooper told MPs today that a £10 million (€11.8 million) plan will be drawn up for local investigations into these gangs.
“Effective investigations at a local level will allow us to get into the detail and get more accurate answers and changes at a local level compared to a lengthy national investigation,” the minister pointed out. Ivette Cooper also ordered a “rapid audit” to be conducted within three months on the current situation in the country.
This audit will study the “cultural and social factors” in child sexual exploitation cases. It will “examine in an appropriate manner the ethnic and demographic data of the gangs involved and their victims,” she added.
For his part, Conservative MP Chris Phillip criticized the local-level investigations announced by Cooper, saying they were “totally inadequate.”
Government agencies have been accused of avoiding these cases to prevent fueling Islamophobia.
And the government’s recent decision not to follow up on a request for a national inquiry into one of these cases has led to new accusations.
Elon Musk’s criticisms
Elon Musk invoked these cases in early January to accuse Keir Starmers, who was head of the Crown Prosecution Service in England and Wales between 2008 and 2013, of allowing “gangs of rapists to exploit young girls without bringing them to justice.”
The Labour government has said it is committed to implementing the recommendations of a previous national public inquiry into the issue, highlighting how the Conservatives failed to do so when in power.
