2.4m support for victims of child exploitation and grooming gangs in London

"Any individuals, groups or grooming gangs exploiting children for sex are utterly abhorrent and I want justice for every single victim of these horrific crimes. These children have not only suffered terrible abuse at the hands of the perpetrators but have been woefully let down by the authorities meant to protect them from harm. Since taking office, I have led efforts to strengthen the protection of children from exploitation and harm in all its forms in London, including grooming gangs."

"On Wednesday, she said she was glad the issue had Sir Sadiq's focus, but said the funding seemed little more than the mayor trying to sanitise his image. Hall added: City Hall Conservatives had a fully-costed proposal for a 4.5 million inquiry in London into this heinous abuse - the mayor coughing up 2 million after months of trying to avoid talking about it just rings hollow."

The Metropolitan Police identified many cases as not fitting the common understanding of grooming gang offending, encompassing intra-family abuse, peer-on-peer abuse and exploitation in institutional settings. A Standard investigation uncovered vulnerable girls across London who reported allegations of rape by multiple men and who experienced inadequate police action. The mayor allocated £2.4 million to strengthen specialist support and therapeutic interventions for children and adult survivors and called for justice for every victim. The Conservative London Assembly leader criticised the mayor's previous denial of indications of grooming gangs and called the funding insufficient and politically motivated. The Met emphasised it treats all child sexual abuse allegations extremely seriously.

Read at www.standard.co.uk