Leader of Birmingham City Council welcomes extension of grooming gangs inquiry
Councillor Roger Harmer says 'every child deserves to be safe'
The leader of Birmingham City Council says he welcomes the announcement that the grooming gangs inquiry has been extended to cover the city.
Councillor Roger Harmer says 'every child deserves to be safe and every perpetrator must face justice'.
The national inquiry will be looking into what organisations that are responsible for protecting children did or didn't do.
Birmingham City Council says the following statement is supported by the Coalition Administration of Birmingham City Council, Leader of the Birmingham Reform Group, Leader of the Birmingham Labour Group, Leader of the Birmingham Conservative Group and Leader of the Birmingham Independent Workers Group:
"Every child in Birmingham deserves to be safe.
"Every victim and survivor deserves to be heard.
"And every perpetrator, regardless of who they are or where they come from, must face justice.
"For too many years, children were completely let down by failures in safeguarding, with victims and survivors living with the consequences. While we cannot change what happened, we can decide what happens next.
"Birmingham will face this issue openly, honestly and without fear or favour. We will follow the evidence. We will not ignore difficult questions, including questions about ethnicity. But we will never allow child sexual exploitation to be used to divide communities or distract from the central truth: abuse is the responsibility of the abuser, and every child must be protected.
"On 30th September, it was announced that the National Inquiry into Grooming Gangs will be conducting an investigation into Birmingham as part of the next phase of its work. We welcome this, we share the objectives of the Inquiry and we understand that Birmingham has been selected because the information currently available provides a strong basis for examining how organisations identify, share information about and respond to child sexual exploitation across a large metropolitan area.
"We are supporting the national Grooming Gangs Inquiry and Operation Beaconport. We are also republishing the council’s 1991 report and any other historic reports that can be located, so that the public can see the evidence for themselves.
"But transparency must lead to action.
"We are committing to:
"Independently testing Birmingham’s current safeguarding arrangements and build better, dedicated support for victims and historical survivors of grooming gangs;
"Working closely with the police and specialist organisations so that people affected by historical abuse know where they can seek help and report crimes; and
"Launching a public awareness campaign so that families and communities can recognise the warning signs and know how to raise concerns.
"Anyone who comes forward must be listened to, believed and supported.
"Birmingham is and will continue to cooperate fully with the national inquiry, but we will not wait to be told to act. We will protect children, support survivors and pursue justice. We will confront past failures and build a safeguarding system worthy of the trust placed in us and that is fit for today’s challanges.
"This is not about protecting institutions or reputations; it is about protecting children.
"That is our responsibility, and we must meet it."