Operation Sanctuary: Shadow Home Secretary calls abuse 'deeply disturbing'
Yvette Cooper also says that Labour would strengthen laws so that breaching sexual risk orders would be a criminal offence
Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper
Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper says new laws proposed by Labour would protect against the kind of widespread abuse revealed by Operation Sanctuary.
Northumbria Police launched its investigation into the sexual exploitation of girls and young women after a report of concern for one girl in January 2014.
Since
then, a total of 53 people have been charged with offences and the
operation has been broadened to include all incidents of females
targeted for sexual assault because of their vulnerability.
Questions
have since been asked about how the epidemic of abuse could have
happened and what could be done to better protect women and young girls
from predators.
Labour’s Ms Cooper said her party is proposing stronger powers for police officers.
Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper
It is proposed to make the breach of a child abduction warning notice or a sexual risk order a criminal offence.
As it stands, the two powers are used informally.
The
politician also proposes more sex education in schools which would help
young people better understand the issue of consent, as well as other
things.
Ms Cooper said: “The abuse uncovered as part of Operation Sanctuary was deeply disturbing.
“These issues around sexual exploitation of young women and girls are immensely serious.
“This is a type of crime that has been hidden away for so long.
Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper
“We need to see real leadership in the Home Office on this and for these issues to be made a national priority.
“We need to be carrying out prevention work in schools and that includes better sex education.
“We
need to talk to all our young people - girls and boys - about violence
and respect in relationships so that we can guard the next generation
against abuse and crime.
“We also need stronger powers for police to intervene.
“We want to strengthen warning orders that prevent predators from approaching young people.
“These
are used informally at the moment and they need to be strengthened so
that it is a criminal offence to approach the young person again.
“This is important as it can take a long time to build a prosecution case against a perpetrator.”
Home
Secretary Theresa May has set up a national abuse inquiry which will
take in Operation Sanctuary as well as investigate the historic abuse
which was unearthed at Medomsley Detention Centre, near Consett in County Durham.
