Starmer urged to prioritise child sexual exploitation victims
Keir Starmer must move the conversation on child sexual exploitation away from sensationalism to support for victims who have had help and protection reduced in recent years, charities, campaigners and experts have said.A joint statement, whose signatories include government services contractors such as the Salvation Army and the Snowdrop Project, says changes in the law have made it harder for survivors to be recognised as victims and to access support services.Their intervention comes after the home secretary, Yvette Cooper, announced an urgent national review of the scale of grooming gangs and a series of other measures to tackle them.The move followed increasing pressure on the government to act since the issue was taken up by the billionaire Elon Musk on his social media platform, X.Ministers have denied that they would not have acted if Musk had not spoken out.
The statement, signed by more than 60 charities, law firms and academics, among them the Survivors Trust and Hope Not Hate, will be shared with Starmer but is aimed at politicians of all stripes.It says: “We call for those in the public eye to help us move the national conversation and action towards the needs of victims and survivors of child sexual exploitation.Child sexual exploitation is recognised as a form of modern slavery and child abuse.Yet, child protection and children’s services have been cut back, while a number of support systems have been dismantled through laws restricting survivors’ access to help.“If we do one thing, it must be to identify children at risk and win the trust of victims scared to come forward.
Yet, the UK is currently failing,Child victims and survivors (including victims of non-recent childhood exploitation) now face higher evidence thresholds, before they can be recognised or receive support, compared to two years ago,“To make matters worse, stealth changes to definitions of sexual exploitation now make it even harder for victims of non-recent sexual exploitation to be supported or considered as victims,”According to After Exploitation, which led on the joint statement, 43% of recorded child victims of sexual exploitation in the UK were non-UK nationals, and the statement says “survivors and perpetrators of modern slavery can be from any nationality, gender, age or background”,Criticising the “politicisation” of the discourse, Prof Alexis Jay, who chaired the independent inquiry into child sexual exploitation, this month lamented the very little mention of “the appalling and lifelong effects that child sexual abuse can have on people”.
On Friday, Lisa Nandy defended the government’s decision to act and denied they were forced to do so by Musk’s intervention.“I utterly refute that,” the culture secretary told Sky News when asked about the billionaire’s interest in the scandal.“We’re not a government that governs by social media,.We brought forward the children’s wellbeing bill a couple of weeks ago – that’s legislation that we announced quite significantly in advance of any noise that we saw on social media.”The Home Office has been approached for comment.
Draper delighted hard work paying off after hat-trick of Melbourne marathons
Jack Draper says his trio of five-set victories at the Australian Open are evidence of the hard work he has put into his career, effort that is finally paying off for him in the biggest matches.“I still have a long way to go, but this is a huge drive forward, the fact that I’ve come through three five-set matches, mentally and physically, it doesn’t happen often,” said Draper. “That’s a testament to the work I’ve done and the place I’m in. So very, very proud of that.”At 12:55am on Saturday morning in Melbourne, Draper, the 15th seed, closed out his third five-set win in as many matches to reach the fourth round with a 6-4, 2-6, 5-7, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (8) victory over Aleksandar Vukic of Australia
Windsor embraces return of jumps racing with cash at the Million festival
When Windsor staged what was billed as its last ever jumps meeting in December 1998, the final race on the card was the Norwegian Blue Handicap Hurdle – a clear sign that as far as the track was concerned, jumping was no more. It had ceased to be.A generation later, though, it is suddenly showing distinct signs of life. There were just under 5,000 racegoers at Windsor last month for the first officially scheduled jumps meeting for 26 years, and the queues at the turnstiles on Friday – the first of two days as part of the first Berkshire Million festival, with the Clarence House Chase card at Ascot as the meat in the sandwich – suggested plenty of those fans had come back for more.There was a total of £18,299 in win prize money on offer for the seven races in 1998
‘So much pain’: England and Lions wing Anthony Watson retires due to injury
The England and British & Irish Lions wing Anthony Watson has retired from rugby aged 30 on medical grounds, having been advised it was no longer safe to continue playing.Watson, who brings the curtain down with 56 caps, has been beset by injuries of late with a debilitating back problem proving the final straw. Across a career that began with London Irish in 2011, Watson has been blighted by two long-term achilles layoffs, ACL surgery, more recent calf issues and the back injury that left him in “so much pain”.Watson said: “I think my body will carry a significant amount of, I guess, deficiency as a result of playing rugby. Stopping now probably allows me to do the basic things I need to do as a dad, husband and son, so that is the priority
Rory McIlroy makes weekend at Desert Classic but Rahm and Hovland exit
For a spell on Friday afternoon the organisers of the Dubai Desert Classic had cause for panic. Jon Rahm had already tumbled out of the tournament after 36 holes, Viktor Hovland was heading the same way and Rory McIlroy was dangerously close to the cut line. Not for the first time at the Emirates Club, McIlroy saved the day; a birdie at the 18th meant he survived for the weekend with three shots to spare. Given McIlroy’s specialism here – he is seeking a third win in a row – a deficit of nine to the leader, Ewen Ferguson, is unlikely to faze the Northern Irishman.Rahm’s struggles on his first start of 2025 and debut in this tournament caused widespread shock
Eliud Kipchoge offers to mentor Alex Yee for Briton’s first London Marathon
Eliud Kipchoge has revealed his admiration for Britain’s triathlon gold medallist Alex Yee – and says he wants to meet and help mentor the Team GB star when they both run the London Marathon in April.The 40-year-old Kipchoge insists he can still compete with the world’s best when he runs in London for the first time since 2020, despite getting injured when bidding for his third Olympic marathon title.But one of his ambitions while in London is to also meet Yee, who memorably won triathlon gold in the final few strides in Paris after a blistering comeback.“I’d love to know him more,” admitted Kipchoge. “I’d like to meet him before the race and share the lives we live
Glasgow, Scotland, the Lions? The unstoppable rise of ‘Huwipulotu’ duo
There will be talk over the next week or two, as there usually is in the buildup to any Six Nations these days, of the possibility of a first Scotland title since five became six at the start of the millennium. The weary will roll their eyes, so familiar is the pang of yet more Scottish disappointment, but if this time, seriously, a title really, really is on the cards, the reason might be found in midfield.The Scotland centre pairing is so established now, for club and country, it comes with its own compound name: Huwipulotu. As Brangelina could have told them, or any cockapoo, the conferring of a portmanteau indicates a special place in the firmament. Sure enough, Sione Tuipulotu and Huw Jones are on most rugby folk’s shortlists for the Lions tour this year
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