大象传媒

A UK charity that specialises in helping parents whose children have been sexually exploited says it believes that young people are currently being groomed in "every town" in Britain.

The organisation Parents Against Child Sexual Exploitation (Pace) says "thousands" of children are affected and police forces still lack the skills to deal with it.

Earlier this year an independent report into child sexual exploitation in Rotherham found at least 1,400 children had been abused over two decades.

Pace director Fleur Strong told 大象传媒 Radio 4's Today Programme that "a significant number" of families are currently trying to cope with a child being sexually exploited.

She said: "I can show you families from Torquay to Exeter to Norfolk, there are families in Edinburgh, Belfast, all of them who will be suffering from this type of crime that lasts for many families for years and years."

"I would say that without doubt there are thousands of families being affected today."

"This type of child abuse is in every town," she said.

In September, West Yorkshire Police began a fresh investigation into the case of a girl who was groomed from the age of 13 and was trafficked to towns in the region.

Her mother, who for legal reasons can only be identified as "Sarah", said the process began in 2007 and her "world fell apart" due to her daughter's ordeal.

"We used to beg her not to go out, because she was begging and pleading and then actually took a knife to herself and said she would harm herself if she couldn't get out of the house," Sarah explained.

"These men had such a hold over her, that was it, they had her."

Sarah said she repeatedly called the police but no proper action was taken and on occasions her daughter and the family were themselves "blamed".

"Some officers would say (to my daughter): 'What do you keep going back for, you must like what you are doing'."

"I was absolutely appalled, absolutely disgusted."

Sarah's daughter fell pregnant to one the perpetrators. None of the men who groomed her has so far been caught.

West Yorkshire Police admitted it had been "slow" in the past to recognise the signs of child sexual exploitation but says it is now one of the highest priorities for the force.

First broadcast Today programme 31 December 2014.

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