Baroness Cox has tabled an oral question in the House of Lords which will be asked on Thursday 18 October.
The question reads:
“To ask HMG whether they are aware of the case of Sarah who was held captive by a grooming gang for 12 years as reported in the Daily Mail on 15 September, and if so, what assessment they have made of that case and its implications.”
The woman, named ‘Sarah’ (not her real name) in the Daily Mail report of 15 September 2018 was kidnapped by a Muslim gang at the age of 15 and spent the next 12 years as a sex slave. During that time, she was repeatedly raped, forced into three sharia marriages, and had eight forced abortions. She was also forced to learn the Qur’an and forced to wear Islamic dress.
Following 12 years spent in slavery since the age of 15, Sarah has been diagnosed with ‘post-traumatic stress disorder’ (PTSD), depression, and “episodes of poor emotional presentation”.
Sarah fears that the social services will now arrange for her youngest child to be adopted against her will by Muslims, as the child could be treated by the authorities as born of Muslim parents, and therefore of Muslim ‘background’. “I do not want that, because I do not want my daughter to go through what I went through,” says Sarah.
Sarah is being supported by Christian Concern and the Christian Legal Centre.
Andrea Williams, Chief Executive of Christian Concern and the Christian Legal Centre said:
“Sarah’s story raises questions about what support and help is being provided to the many thousands of victims of these Islamic grooming gangs. The government needs to take specific action to compensate these victims and provide support for their mental health so that they can re-adapt to normal life.
“Often police and social services turned a blind eye to these offences and these people should be held to account. The government needs to take decisive action to ensure that cultural sensitivities are not allowed to override the laws of the land. Girls should be protected from these gangs, and where society has failed to protect them, the government should compensate and help them to recover from the ordeal they have been through.”
Baroness Cox said:
“I have had the painful privilege of meeting Sarah, hearing her harrowing story, and trying to offer support for her. Her case is sadly just the tip of the iceberg. Countless other girls have suffered in similar ways in multiple towns up and down the country. The government needs to take specific action to help and support these courageous victims who are now speaking out about their terrible ordeals.”