Rotherham child sexual exploitation scandal

From the late 1980s until 2013, group-based child sexual exploitation affected an estimated 1,400 girls, commonly from care home backgrounds, in the town of Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England. Between 1997 and 2013, girls were abused by grooming gangs of predominantly Pakistani men. Researcher Angie Heal, who was hired by local officials and warned them about child exploitation occurring between 2002 and 2007, has since described it as the "biggest child protection scandal in UK history". In July 2025 investigations were being carried out into allegations that police officers had also raped child victims.

Evidence of the abuse was first noted in the early 1990s, when care home managers investigated reports that children in their care were being picked up by taxi drivers. From at least 2001, multiple reports passed names of alleged perpetrators, several from one family, to the police and Rotherham Council. The first group conviction took place in 2010, when five British-Pakistani men were convicted of sexual offences against girls aged 12–16. From January 2011, ''The Times'' covered the issue, discovering that the abuse had been known by local authorities for over ten years. Andrew Norfolk (5 January 2011). [https://www.thetimes.com/best-law-firms/profile-legal/article/some-of-these-men-have-children-the-same-age-they-are-bad-apples-cbhpsj7x5wt "'Some of these men have children the same age; they are bad apples'"], ''The Times''. Andrew Norfolk (5 January 2011). [https://www.thetimes.com/article/barnardos-demands-inquiry-into-sex-exploitation-of-british-girls-l0k8q33dsrf "Barnardo's demands inquiry into sex exploitation of British girls"], ''The Times''. [https://www.thetimes.com/article/the-17-cases-identified-by-the-times-which-showed-a-pattern-of-exploitation-rjqz6dbqhsg "The 17 cases identified by The Times which showed a pattern of exploitation"], ''The Times'', 5 January 2011. Andrew Norfolk, Richard Ford, Greg Hurst (6 January 2011). [https://www.thetimes.com/uk/crime/article/calls-for-major-police-inquiry-on-grotesque-sex-gangs-mwscj8gskr9 "Calls for major police inquiry on 'grotesque' sex gangs"], ''The Times''.Andrew Norfolk (''The Times'', 24 September 2012): "Confidential police reports and intelligence files ... show that for more than a decade organised groups of men were able to groom, pimp and traffic girls across the country with virtual impunity. Offenders were identified to police but not prosecuted."}}

Following these reports, alongside the 2012 trial of the Rochdale child sex abuse ring, the House of Commons Home Affairs Committee conducted hearings and published its recommendations in six reports. Alexis Jay led an independent inquiry, known as the Jay report, which found multiple failings of the police and local authorities. Girls would be regularly taken in taxis to be abused, and were gang raped, forced to watch rape, threatened, and trafficked to other towns. The pregnancies, miscarriages, and terminations which resulted, caused further trauma to the victims. Most victims were White British girls but British Asian girls were also targeted. British Asian girls may have feared social isolation and dishonour had they reported their experiences. Failure to address the abuse has been linked to factors such as fear of racism allegations due to the perpetrators' ethnicity; sexist attitudes towards the mostly working-class victims; lack of a child-centred focus; a desire to protect the town's reputation; and lack of training and resources.

Following the Jay report, Rotherham Council's chief executive, its director of children's services, as well as the Police and Crime Commissioner for South Yorkshire Police all resigned. The Independent Police Complaints Commission and the National Crime Agency both opened inquiries. The Rotherham Council was also investigated, and found to be "not fit for purpose". Nineteen men and two women were convicted in 2016 and 2017 of sexual offences in the town dating back to the late 1980s. Provided by Wikipedia