Report 'downplays sex abuse by Asian men'

A report into sex crimes by gangs has come under fire, with critics saying it downplayed the abuse of white girls by groups of British Asian men.

The report by Deputy Children’s Commissioner Sue Berelowitz found that gangs or groups of men had committed sex crimes against 2,409 children in a 14-month period from 2010 to 2011.

“Each year thousands of children in England are raped and abused from as young as 11 by people seeking to humiliate, violate and control them. The impact… is often devastating,” it said.

But Education Secretary Michael Gove said the study had downplayed the abuse of white girls by groups of Pakistani men, despite telling Berelowitz beforehand to “ask tough questions about cultural background”, according to the Times.

The report found that, where recorded, 43 percent of the perpetrators were white and 33 percent Asian. Britain’s population is 87 percent white and seven percent Asian.

Berelowitz argued it was “irresponsible” to dwell on data from the report that revealed Asian men were disproportionately more likely to be involved in such abuse.

“The victims come from all ethnic groups, as do the perpetrators, contrary to what some may wish to believe,” said Berelowitz.

“It’s happening everywhere, from lovely, leafy places to inner cities. There are people preying on children all over the country.”

A former Labour MP slammed the study’s conclusions.

“I can understand why she (Berelowitz) is afraid of being called a racist… but this is about protecting young victims,” Ann Cryer, former MP for Keighley, told The Times

“We can not ignore the statistics staring us in the face. We need to look at… perpetrators and ask what is in their background that makes them behave this way.”