"Survivors told the BBC they had been raped by several men as payment for unpaid drug debts by the gangs that controlled them, while others said they had been groomed for sex. We are horrified by these reports. The report lays bare the failings of the authorities in London to tackle the grooming gangs we have seen operating all over the country."
"The government has announced there will be a full national statutory inquiry into grooming gangs, covering England and Wales. It is expected to include new local investigations, which will take place even if local authorities do not want one."
"Sexual and criminal abuse of children by gangs, whenever they occur, are among the most horrific crimes imaginable. The local areas to be examined by the inquiry will be selected by the chair in due course."
Eleven MPs and London Assembly members have written to the Home Secretary and Mayor of London demanding urgent action to investigate grooming gangs operating in the capital. The letter follows a BBC investigation revealing that vulnerable girls as young as 14 were being sexually exploited by gangs, with survivors reporting rape and forced sex as payment for drug debts. The signatories, including shadow home secretary Chris Philp and former Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith, criticize authorities' failures to tackle the issue. They call for London to be included in the government's national statutory inquiry into grooming gangs and demand the Metropolitan Police establish a dedicated unit to prosecute offenders. The Home Office states that inquiry locations will be selected by the chair, with final terms of reference expected by March 31.
Read at www.bbc.com
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