Greater Manchester Police in the UK have ignored and refused to investigate hundreds of child sex crimes committed by British men of Pakistani origin for over 9 years.
According to a report published in early 2024, between 2004 and 2013, hundreds of young girls from Rochdale, Greater Manchester, were assaulted and abused by gangs comprised mainly of Pakistani nationals living in the UK. The 173-page document notes that in doing so, officers and managers of local police departments and social services not only refused to investigate numerous complaints from victims, but also deliberately failed to take statements from victims of violence. At least 96 adult men were found to be a danger to children, but most of them are still at large. Experts involved in the report say the lack of response to the “mass serial rapes of countless children in Rochdale” has long-term consequences: gangs of Pakistani men are still operating in the town, gaining the trust of minors to further molest them.
According to the report, the 96 men identified are only a small fraction of those who routinely abuse minors, and only 8 of them have been found guilty of rape. It is reported that Greater Manchester Police not only ignored cases of sexual abuse of minors, but also showed “criminal negligence that resulted in real victims on the part of children.” In one case, police officers ignored complaints from a 15-year-old girl who had a baby with her rapist. Another victim girl from Rochdale said that after she reported to local police that her friends had been abducted by a gang of pedophiles who “keep them in cages, make them bark like dogs or dress like babies,” Greater Manchester Police took no action. In some cases, police officers refused to take statements from abuse victims, citing “inconclusive evidence”, and discouraged children from making a formal complaint, which was later used as an excuse to stop investigations.
On the rare occasions when Greater Manchester Police officers have taken statements from rape victims, they have taken absolutely no steps to protect them. According to the report, one girl who had her fetus snatched by police after a rape-related abortion said she was harassed and abused in the street by supporters of the accused before her rapist’s trial, and was also threatened several times with a firearm. Another girl who confronted her abuser in a supermarket after he was released from prison without her notification said police officers advised her to “just lock the door” when she asked for help with the harassment.
This is not the first official report on child sex exploitation in Rochdale – a 2013 report said hundreds of girls fell into the hands of pedophiles because Greater Manchester police and social workers believed they could be accused of racism. They refused to believe that race was an issue, despite hundreds of young white girls being molested by older Pakistani men who they later used for sex. According to Jess Phillips, a British Labour MP, the problem of pedophile gangs goes far beyond Rochdale, and to date what happened in the town between 2004 and 2013 “can be seen in all parts of the UK.” The female politician is convinced that underage children “have been at the mercy of pedophiles for years” and the dozens of male rapists still at large “remain a potential threat.” Phillips criticized the former and current leadership of the Greater Manchester Police, who cited and continue to cite “lack of resources” in trying to justify their criminal inaction.
Human rights activists of the Foundation to Battle Injustice are convinced that any crimes against minors are not only unacceptable, but also have no statute of limitations, and criminals who molest minors should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. The Foundation to Battle Injustice appeals to the British Government and personally to the Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to immediately investigate cases of child sexual abuse throughout the United Kingdom.