The issue of child sexual exploitation or more commonly understood as grooming has been an ongoing issue of concern for at least a decade in Keighley.

Grooming has been an emotive subject not least because on a superficial level it has been presented as a race issue.

There is no doubt in any communities mind that the act of grooming and exploitation of minors is a despicable crime and one that needs to be treated in the harshest way possible by the police and criminal justice system.

While communities blame and criticise each other for the lack of care/gripe on their young people, the semantics of language, ethnicity, numbers or the various spokespersons for their competence/lack of competence - the fact remains that vulnerable young girls are being groomed and exploited both in the indigenous community and in the South Asian community.

The primary objective has to be about the victims.

The Muslim women’s Council feels strongly that the issue of grooming has to be a priority for all communities and for those communities to work together.

The lack of leadership and engagement on the subject has created an environment of mistrust, suspicion and prejudice about the ‘other’, all of which serve to undermine social cohesion in the towns like Keighley and create a fertile ground for far right extremist groups.

Furthermore the disproportionate sensationalist and demonising nature of media reporting of crimes involving Pakistani males has put these communities in to a position of defensiveness, making it a ‘them’ and ‘us’ situation.

This is further compounded as the community leaders who in the main are male are ill equipped to deal with grooming with an open approach.

This is because they do not have the means to articulate the complex concerns, they have no ways of building trust and rapport with the victims who are young females often living in households headed by mothers and the fact they are viewed with mistrust by the families and victims due to the association of ethnicity with that of the perpetrators.

Based on this assessment the Muslim Women’s Council believes early intervention and prevention based on the following principles is paramount to safety and community relations.

The Key Principles: 

The right of the child – to be happy, safe and secure over rides any politics, community sensitivities and gatekeepers
Solidarity amongst women – we will stand shoulder to shoulder with the mothers of the victims, as mothers we have the right to expect our children will be safe in our town.
Our Voices – No one speaks for us, we speak for ourselves, any initiative will be led/ sponsored by women/women’s organisations
Safe spaces – No subject is ‘no go’ territory and open debate and discussions will help enable understanding and foster good community relations
We take responsibility – for problem solving and action.

Based on the above principles we believe that a new leadership is required one that can rise above the community sensitivities and politics, the inexperienced well meaning professional and the opportunists be they far right extremists or individuals wanting to make a career on the suffering of these young girls.

We believe that leadership is local women, mothers, grandmothers, activists, students, professionals all standing shoulder to shoulder, standing up for what is right and what is the right thing to do.

The power of women for social change cannot be denied just think back to the Northern Ireland Peace process.

By Selina Ullah of the Muslim Women's Council

For more information on the Muslim Women's Council, visit facebook.com/muslimwomenscouncil or twitter.com/MWC_Bradford