Who we are and what we want to achieve. PLEASE READ.

Hello, and thankyou for your interest in the Rotherham project. Please be aware that this project is in an extremely embryonic state of affairs, and this forum was created to give interested parties a temporary central hub to communicate from. Everything you read and see here needs refining and improving, and so please don't hesitate to give us your opinions on any matter. We need all the help and expertise we can get.

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Before we explain who we are and what we aim to achieve. Lets remind ourselves of the shocking findings of Alexis Jay's report into child exploitation in Rotherham. ( View summery here )

Key findings:

• Between 1997 and 2013, at least 1400 children - a conservative estimate - were sexually exploited in Rotherham.
• Children as young as eleven were: "raped by multiple perpetrators, abducted, trafficked to other cities in England, beaten and intimidated."
• Examples of "children who had been doused in petrol and threatened with being set alight, threatened with guns, made to witness brutally violent rapes and threatened they would be next if they told anyone".
• Families of victims were terrorised by groups of perpetrators, sitting in cars outside their homes, smashing windows, making abusive and threatening phone calls.
• Three previous inquiries - held in 2002, 2003 and 2000 - had presented similar findings but, according to the report, had been "effectively suppressed" because officials "did not believe the data"
• Majority of perpetrators were known to be Asian or of Pakistani heritage, several council staff described themselves as being nervous about identifying the ethnic origins of perpetrators for fear of being thought racist. ; others, the report noted, "remembered clear direction from their managers" not to make such identification.
• One Home Office researcher, attempting to raise concerns with senior police officers in 2002 over the level of abuse, was told not to do so again, and was subsequently suspended and sidelined.
• Police showed lack of respect for the victims, who were deemed "undesirables".

WHO WE ARE:

We are angry parents and individuals appalled by the events that have taken place in Rotherham and we aim to do something about it.
Because their struggle was deemed to be politically insensitive, the children of Rotherham were abandoned by the authorities for over 15 years -- authorities who cared more about public relations then with keeping children safe from sexual predators.

We can never let that happen again.

From now on, we are the watchdog that will keep the authorities accountable.


WHAT OUR AIMS ARE:

To create an Organisation dedicated to helping the victims of child sex abuse all across the UK.

• Keeping pressure on the police and the authorities to take action. Make sure they are taking allegations seriously and are not suppressing evidence.
• Provide support and shelter for victims and families. Both financially and emotionally.
• Work to eliminate the practice of child exploitation by providing educational materials and advice to schools, local authorities, local families and by lobbying for greater sentences for those responsible.

PRACTICAL THINGS WE NEED TO DO:

• Create a detailed mission statement about who we are and what we want to achieve
• Name our organisation, get a website set up and register as a charity — all necessary steps if we want to be taken seriously.
• Create a media presence, so we can raise awareness quickly and easily.
• Office space for our organisation.
• We need funds. An initial crowd funded campaign is essential if we want to create a fully fledged organisation. We can advertise it through our media presence.

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

• Let us know how you think we can achieve our goals, and what ideas you have to make those goals clearer and more defined.
• Let us know specifically how you can help us

Please post your thoughts below.