Baroness Casey of Blackstock found that flawed data were used by public bodies to dismiss claims about Asian grooming gangs as “sensationalised, biased or untrue”.
She also found that in too many cases, police forces and other organisations avoided pursuing perpetrators for fear of being viewed as racist.
Yvette Cooper, the Home Secretary, told MPs that the Government would accept all the recommendations, including setting up a national inquiry into grooming gangs.
She said that rape laws should be tightened up and many girls convicted of child prostitution would be cleared.
Ms Cooper added: “This will mark the biggest programme of work ever pursued to root out the grooming gangs.
“Those vile perpetrators who have grown used to the authorities looking the other way must have no place to hide.”
She said 800 cold cases would be looked into and could rise to 1,000 cases, adding: “Perpetrators of these vile crimes should be behind bars and paying the price of what they have done.”
The Home Secretary said the report found a “deep-rooted failure to treat children as children”, adding: “A continued failure to protect teenage girls from rape, from exploitation and serious violence, and from the scars that last a lifetime.
“[Lady Casey] finds… too much reliance on flawed data, too much denial, too little justice, too many criminals getting off, too many victims being let down.”
Ms Cooper said the report found that children as young as 10 were singled out for grooming.
“Perpetrators [were] walking free because no one joined up the dots or because the law protected them instead of the victims that they had exploited,” she added.
“Blindness, ignorance, prejudice, defensiveness and even good but misdirected intentions all played a part in this collective failure.”
The Labour MP for Rochdale, Paul Waugh, told the Commons that victims want accountability for those in positions of authority who failed to act...<<<Read More>>>...
