Fighting the evil sex predators - one year on

A year since our Keep Them Safe campaign was launched, aimed at raising awareness about child exploitation and sexual grooming, crime reporter Charlotte Bradshaw takes an indepth look at what has been done to tackle the problem.

A mother's story

The heartbreaking story of Jean, a Blackburn mum-of-three, whose teenage daughter was groomed into prostitution sparked the Keep Them Safe campaign.

Jean, who lives in the Grimshaw Park area of Blackburn, says her daughter, now 16 years old, is still locked in a cycle of abuse, despite being in care.

It has been more than a year since Lindsey (not her real name) was placed into foster care.

Jean went on to set up a support group for other parents of sexually exploited children, called Carers of Sexually Exploited Youths (COSEY).

The group has also had to move locations twice after gangs began intimidating them at their weekly meetings. It's now running from Mill Hill Community Centre.

The issue of young girls being enticed by older men with flashy cars and gifts into a sordid world of drugs and prostitution is getting worse, according to Jean.

Her daughter's ties within the "grooming" network are stronger than ever and Jean says she is also a "victim" on social networking websites.

She said: "She's on about five or six websites. On one site she has 125 "friends" 115 of them are Asian males, there's no getting away from it.

"The problem is not getting any better, there's a lot of talking being done and positive things being proposed but the problem is only getting worse. In places like Burnley, Colne and Nelson the problem is also rife. We have parents coming to the group so we know how bad it is.

"The girls all have the same look on their faces. They are blank, like their souls are lost somewhere."

With this exception of an occasional e-mail, Jean has no contact with her daughter. The family has had to move house, claiming intimidation by members of the grooming network.

Her case is typical of the grooming patterns developing across East Lancashire. Insecure about her weight and lacking in self-esteem, her daughter, then 15, was particularly vulnerable, her mother believes, to the compliments of the handsome young men, mistaking their attention for affection.

As part of our investigation last year, the Lancashire Telegraph revealed that up to 100 girls as young as 12 in the area had been groomed into childhood prostitution by gangs of men.

They were paid in cash, cigarettes and drink in return for sexual favours.

Many of the youngsters go missing from home each week to spend time with the men, who are predominantly Asian.

The girls targeted typically have low self-esteem and are showered with the gifts and attention, before being pressured into sexual favours in return.

Parents claim that criminal networks are able to prey on young girls because the authorities are reluctant to tackle the issue for fear of upsetting race relations in areas of East Lancashire with large ethnic minority communities.

The successful prosecution of the men, Jean says, "is a start, but it has come too late for my daughter."

Police action:

As part of Operation Engage, set up two years ago, a review has been carried out within Lancashire and Blackburn with Darwen councils, in particular, to bring various groups together to form an integrated team working together, from a single site.

Police chiefs say the move will enable them to develop a shared perspective in the way they approach and tackle the issue.

Only last week Zulfar Hussain, 46, from Blackburn, and Qaiser Naveed, 32, from Burnley, were jailed for five years and eight months for "exploiting" the vulnerable under 16s.

Hussain and Naveed abducted two Blackburn girls from social services care before they plied them with ecstasy and alcohol and had sex with them.

The prosecution, which saw the perverts being ordered to sign the sex offender's register for life and banned from associating with girls aged under 16 for life, was a victory for both the victims and all the organisations working to tackle youngsters descending into this seedy world.

Chief Insp Knowles said: "There have been recent successes in the fight against this type of crime.

"Another man, following the service of a warning letter under the Children's Act, which he chose to ignore, has been arrested and charged with abduction of a young girl and awaits trial at Blackburn Magistrates Court.

"Officers from Operation Engage have also travelled to London to arrest a man who was in the process of enticing a young girl, living within our division, to the capital for sexual exploitation.

"These types of prosecutions show the determination of Lancashire Constabulary to protect young vulnerable children from this type of crime and bring to justice those who are responsible."

Police have also issued dozens of warning letters to adult males believed to be spending an unusual amount of time with young girls without their guardians' consent.

The letter warns the individual that the girl is underage and he is required to sign the letter, which is held on record by the police.

Chief Insp Knowles went on: "The police and prosecution services continue to pursue the arrest and conviction of perpetrators while statutory and voluntary child care agencies aim to safeguard victims and protect their rights.

"The effectiveness of the publicity of this type of criminal activity is difficult to judge. However, the Telegraph campaign sought to highlight that this behaviour, against some of the most vulnerable members of our society, is not acceptable and that the police, the Council and other agencies are working hard to combat it. Reinforcing that message must be a good thing."

Education in mosques:

Muslim community leaders have ensured an education programme has been rolled out in mosques throughout East Lancashire.

Salim Mulla, secretary of the Lancashire Council of Mosques which includes 75 mosques from the east of the county, revealed: "We incorporated the issue into education programmes across the mosques to make people aware of the problem and people.

"The community has to accept that there are problems of this nature.

"We as a community have to make sure that it's addressed and it's not just brushed under the carpet as it's such an important issue.

"Islam teaches us to be respectful to your fellow human beings whoever she or he is whether they be elderly or young females they have to be respected."

"We are having a youth conference at Cumberland Street mosque this weekend where the matter will be discussed to see what their views and thoughts are.

"We have held youth conferences in the past which have been extremely well received and helped to raise awareness about the issue which many people didn't even know existed.

He said the issue would never be irradiated fully as there would always be "unscrupilos men" willing to exploit young girls, a problem which is rife across the whole of society.

He said: "It's not a issue unique to the Asian community. People from the white community are also involved. It is not just white girls being exploited. Asian girls are involved too, but their numbers are less. There is less access to them, and the criminals are more likely to be deterred by their fathers and brothers, who they know will come after them.

"It's something which remains high on our agenda now thanks to it being highlighted by the Lancashire Telegraph and I would like to applaud the paper for taking such a bold decision to highlight this situation across Lancashire.

We have no time or space for these evil people.

"It is not just white girls being exploited. Asian girls are involved too, but their numbers are less. There is less access to them, and the criminals are more likely to be deterred by their fathers and brothers, who they know will come after them."

Our campaign had a number of aims which were to:

* Raise public awareness about the sexual exploitation of children
* Lobby the government to increase Home Office funding to target offenders
* Set up a dedicated phone line that victims of sexual exploitation can call for support and advice
* Have the issue of grooming integrated into personal, social and health education in schools
* Set up an overnight refuge for child victims of sexual exploitation from East Lancashire
* Set up an on-line e-counselling service for the young people.

So what else has happened a year since the campaign was introduced?

A raft of measures have been introduced since the lid on a child sex ring was lifted.

Sarah Lloyd, of CROP, the Leeds-based Coalition for the Removal of Pimping said: "The problem has certainly not gone away.

"However, we are making progress, albeit slow."

The Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) scheme was launched by Lancashire Police and children's charity workers last August to encourage schoolchildren to report any inappropriate behaviour they encounter while using the internet.

An education pack was delivered to schoolchildren aged between 11 and 14 highlighting the dangers of internet grooming and offers advice on how to use the internet safely.

It also included a short film about the dangers of internet grooming - told by a schoolgirl victim of an East Lancashire paedophile.

'Jenny's Story' was produced after she was groomed through an internet chatroom by a man who posed as a female model offering modelling opportunities.

But when she eventually agreed to meet up, she was indecently assaulted by the man.

CEOP created a website, designed specifically for secondary school pupils.

The website, www.thinkuknow.co.uk contains games, information and advice on how to stay safe online.

The Lancashire Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB) was set up to give greater protection to all children.

And a new protocol was devised to protect children who run away from Lancashire care homes from being sexually exploited.

The new protocol now runs adjacent to the LSCB and acts as guidance for police, children's services staff including social workers, residential managers, care support staff, private foster agencies and foster carers.