Sarah Champion should not have resigned over confronting the reality of sex gangs of predominantly British-born Asian men
I AM dismayed Sarah Champion resigned from the Shadow Cabinet over an article she wrote for this newspaper about the scandal of young girls being raped and abused by gangs of predominantly British-born Asian men.
Not because of the damage to her career but because once again the focus has been pulled away from those who are really important, the victims of these heinous crimes.
Sadly, this has now turned into a political row, rather than a chance for every single one of us to confront an ugly reality.
This is the sexual exploitation of children, plain and simple.
Our priority has to be the thousands of girls, some of them heartbreakingly young, who have gone through ordeals we cannot even begin to imagine.
They are still suffering, and we know there are other victims out there yet to be unearthed.
It took long enough for the authorities to reluctantly face up to the disgusting acts of sexual assault and violence being inflicted on these girls.
That they were more scared of being labelled racist than protecting them and locking up their abusers is scandalous.
It was only because of the tenacity and bravery of women such as former detective Maggie Oliver and youth worker Jayne Senior, who shamed the authorities into taking action, that finally some of these criminals ended up in court.
The harrowing Three Girls TV drama and the documentary The Betrayed Girls shocked us all.
It was tempting not to look but that is precisely why these arrogant criminals felt they could get away with it.
These vulnerable, often poverty-stricken and neglected girls were specifically targeted and used as sex slaves because of the colour of their skin.
Their pleas for help were ignored and they were treated like dirt, not just by their abusers but by those who should have been moving heaven and earth to protect them and make sure they were given justice.
Let’s be very clear.
Talking about these distressing crimes is not in any way a slight on all Asian men. That would be ludicrous, as well as deeply insulting. We are all too aware that men, and women, of all colours and creeds are capable of being sexual predators.
You cannot, however, ignore that these particular gangs of men specifically targeted white girls, who they believe are worthless and only good for sex.
This month, 18 men from various backgrounds, including Bangladeshi, Pakistani, Indian, Iraqi, Turkish and Iranian, were found guilty of involvement in a sex grooming network in Newcastle.
One of these criminals said that “all white women are only good for one thing. For men like me to f*** and use like trash. That’s all women like you are worth”.
It chills the blood. It cannot be allowed to continue and that’s why we can’t pretend it is not happening.
It was very brave of Sarah Champion to write the article and it was all the more powerful coming from the Shadow Equalities Minister and Labour MP representing Rotherham, where so many of these crimes took place.
It is extremely depressing that she has now tried to disassociate herself from the words she wrote with such deep passion.
It transpires that her “team” were apparently more concerned about making sure her byline photograph was attractive enough. They sent in five different options after the event to ensure a flattering image.
That really did make my heart sink to my boots. Imagine being worried about something so trivial when dealing with such a serious issue.
I sincerely hope Sarah Champion did not know what her aides were up to. It’s vital that these lost girls are given help and protection.
They don’t have a voice and it is people such as Sarah Champion who should be speaking up for them and demanding answers.
We cannot impose silence upon such crimes, and our politicians cannot feel intimidated about stating their concerns and their desire to shine a light in a very dark place.
If we go down that road, the criminals will flourish and more little girls will be subjected to lives of pain and degradation.
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Brave Malala a symbol of hope
CONGRATULATIONS to the bravest young woman I have ever met.
Malala Yousafzai was shot in the head by the Taliban five years ago on her way to school.
These Neanderthals were outraged that young girls in this remote area of Pakistan were seeking to have an education, and their solution was to target children and attack a school bus with a hail of bullets.
Malala not only survived but went on to become a symbol of hope for little girls all over the world who hunger to learn to read and write and have a chance of a better life.
This week 20-year-old Malala was awarded a place at Oxford University. She will study phil-osophy, politics and economics.
Malala is already a bestselling author and Nobel Peace Prize winner, but there are no limits to what this incredible young woman can achieve.
Whatever road she decides to travel, Malala will make her mark on the world – and make it a better place for all of us.
Free Dan of Bond-age
I WASN’T at all surprised at the news Daniel Craig will return as James Bond.
My pal, the entertainment journalist Ross King, broke the news that Daniel would be signing on again as 007 about five weeks ago. So we knew already.
It’s been two years since Daniel said he’d rather “slash his wrists” than do another Bond film, a statement he now appears to regret, but I do suspect his heart isn’t in it.
After this one he should bow out.
I’m still ever hopeful Idris Elba will get the call but now we have a female Dr Who, how about promoting Naomie Harris from Miss Moneypenny, and also leaving those clunky “Pussy Galore” double entendres on the cutting room floor.
They are gags best left to gather dust.
Liz still fizzing
I WAS shocked by the horrific attack on the Silent Witness actor Liz Carr.
She was stabbed in the head by a man wielding two pairs of scissors near London’s Euston Station this week.
With her customary wit and sense of humour, brave Liz, who is also a comedian, said it was a bit like being attacked by Edward Scissorhands and assured us all she was relatively un- scathed.
She went on to say she is looking forward to returning to filming the popular drama, in which she plays scientist Clarissa Mullery and where “thankfully, all the violence is fake”.
Typically of her, Liz took the opportunity to thank the paramedics, ambulance crew and A&E staff who helped treat her, as well as all the fans who sent good wishes.
It could have been a hell of a lot worse for Liz, a wheelchair user and a fierce fighter for international disability rights.
She is now at home being looked after by her partner Jo, and along with everyone else, I’m thankful she is now well on the road to recovery.
[boxout featured-image="4276002"]IT was so good to see Ant McPartlin looking his old self again as he chatted to our Dan Wootton about his time in rehab and his hopes for the future.
Ant needs to take it easy, only getting back to work when he is completely ready. I hope he takes heart that from being so open, he will have helped others to talk about their problems with drink and drugs – and to also seek help.
No one should feel ashamed or think they will be judged.[/boxout]
Attack cannot numb us
TERRORISTS have ticked off another European city on their hate-filled bucket list of horror and death.
Innocent blood has been spilt on the streets of Barcelona and once more we are all outraged at the evil and feeling helpless as to how the hell we stop this carnage.
It is impossible to even imagine what is going through the mind of someone on such a killing spree.
Does it make them feel all powerful? Is there really no glimmer of humanity or remorse?
There are tens of thousands of home- grown terrorist suspects all over Europe and, legally, they cannot simply be swept off the streets and locked up.
No matter how attractive a proposition, that’s a very dark road to go down and would make us almost as bad as them.
Spanish police, reeling from the Barcelona attack, were nevertheless highly effective in neutralising a second attack in the seaside town of Cambrils just an hour’s drive away.
They shot dead five suspects wearing fake explosives.
Barcelona and Cambrils will bounce back, and none of us here should let an attack like this chip away at our way of life.
Obviously those mourning the dead from terror assaults, including the horror on London Bridge, above, have to live with grief every day.
We cannot allow terrorists to make us cower in fear – but we must never become desensitised either.
We MUST shed tears for the victims and be outraged at their deaths.
We SHOULD be angry at their killers and demand answers.
For if terrorism becomes something we simply shrug off and accept as a part of the new world order, then the monsters really have won.
[boxout featured-image="4275640"]HE word legend is bandied about far too often but Bruce Forsyth was the real deal.
He started as a child variety act and grew up to be our greatest ever all- round entertainer.
I was lucky enough to work with him and it was a masterclass in TV presenting.
The man was born to be on TV and to host game shows. He made it look easy and he had an unthreatening charm and wit that appealed to all ages.
We will never see his like again.
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