17^th June 2025

MEDIA STATEMENT

Response to Louise Casey’s audit on group-based child sexual exploitation

Muslim Women’s Network UK (MWNUK) stands in full solidarity with all victims of child sexual exploitation. We welcome the recommendations made by Baroness Casey in her audit on group-based child sexual exploitation and support her calls for stronger accountability of institutions that have failed victims. We also support strengthening of laws and robust collection of ethnicity data relating to both perpetrators and victims, which will be essential for informed and effective responses to this form of abuse.

We are deeply troubled that victims of group-based child sexual exploitation continue to be failed, and that in some areas, there is a concerning over-representation of Pakistani men among those convicted of such offences. This demands serious reflection and robust action. However, it is equally important to emphasise that these individuals only make up a tiny fraction of the 1.6 million Pakistanis and 4 million Muslims living in the UK—communities that are themselves appalled by these crimes. These offenders do not reflect or represent these communities.

For example, MWNUK previously ran a series of awareness-raising events across England, partnering with community organisations to encourage reporting and prevention. We also produced a set of powerful campaign videos, including:

· A survivor story,

· Pakistani men condemning the abuse, and

· A video in Urdu, tailored for harder-to-reach community members.

MWNUK CEO Baroness Shaista Gohir said: "A national inquiry must examine why early intervention systems failed to protect children including to what extent chronic underfunding of child protection services, along with the attitudes or inaction of frontline professionals, enabled abuse to continue unchecked. While it will also be important to recognise patterns that may exist within specific groups, including drivers that lead to their over-representation, we must not lose sight of the fact that perpetrators and victims come from all backgrounds, and a comprehensive response must reflect that reality.”

In 2013, MWNUK published a ground-breaking report titled Unheard Voices – Sexual Exploitation of South Asian Girls. The majority of the 35 victims were of Pakistani heritage, as were most of the perpetrators, though individuals from Afghan, Bangladeshi, and Indian backgrounds were also represented among both victims and offenders. Following the publication, more victims came forward, including Somali girls who disclosed being targeted by men within their own communities.

The research was conducted to shed light on the often hidden and overlooked experiences of minority ethnic girls. Our findings reveal that, like their white peers, these girls were targeted due to their vulnerability and accessibility. Many came from backgrounds marked by family dysfunction, parental neglect, lack of affection, exposure to domestic abuse and intra-familial sexual abuse. These risk factors have been consistently documented in other reports on sexual exploitation. Sexual predators do not discriminate by race, faith, or culture—the crime of sexual exploitation is fundamentally about harmful male attitudes towards women and girls.

Victims of sexual exploitation can contact Muslim Women’s Network Helpline on 0800 999 5786 / info@mwnhelpline.co.uk or via the Amal Safety Mobile iPhone App

Additional Information

· Media enquiries can be directed to: contact@mwnuk.co.uk or 0121 2369000

· Muslim Women’s Network UK is a national charity: https://www.mwnuk.co.uk

· Muslim Women’s Network Helpline: https://www.mwnuk.co.uk