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Society's failure over the Oxford sex abuse ring Society's failure over the Oxford sex abuse ring
(4 months later)
The coverage of the Oxford and Rochdale sex abuse rings has raised uncomfortable questions around culture, gender and power within the British-Pakistani community which, thus far, the mainstream press has proved rather squeamish in confronting (Social services failed me, says abuse ring girl, 15 May). Are men of Pakistani origin predisposed to abuse girls? No. Do elements of Pakistani culture help explain why a group of men engaged in a joint venture of abusing dozens of poor, young girls? Perhaps. For a community grappling with forced marriage and so-called honour killings, the cultural backdrop and norms of female disempowerment to these crimes are all too relevant. The coverage of the Oxford and Rochdale sex abuse rings has raised uncomfortable questions around culture, gender and power within the British-Pakistani community which, thus far, the mainstream press has proved rather squeamish in confronting (Social services failed me, says abuse ring girl, 15 May). Are men of Pakistani origin predisposed to abuse girls? No. Do elements of Pakistani culture help explain why a group of men engaged in a joint venture of abusing dozens of poor, young girls? Perhaps. For a community grappling with forced marriage and so-called honour killings, the cultural backdrop and norms of female disempowerment to these crimes are all too relevant. 
Perhaps the press and opinion-formers fear that confronting these issues may feed the agendas of Ukip or the EDL. If so, yet again, the needs of poorer, young females are set aside while the older, wealthier and predominantly white, and male, choose what is worth fighting about. Meanwhile, the fact that the victims were uniformly from poorer backgrounds and young, and many from an underfunded care system, should pose equally searching questions about how white British society wilfully neglects and devalues poor, young girls.
Rocco Blume
London		Perhaps the press and opinion-formers fear that confronting these issues may feed the agendas of Ukip or the EDL. If so, yet again, the needs of poorer, young females are set aside while the older, wealthier and predominantly white, and male, choose what is worth fighting about. Meanwhile, the fact that the victims were uniformly from poorer backgrounds and young, and many from an underfunded care system, should pose equally searching questions about how white British society wilfully neglects and devalues poor, young girls.
Rocco Blume
London
• What is not talked about in depth is the role of social services, the police and the courts. What these girls all had in common were that they were in care and very, very vulnerable. Most children in care will have usually come from an abusive family background. All of them tried to tell a responsible adult what was happening to them but they were not listened to. What white people don't want to admit, but the evidence is clearly there, is that in white culture (just like every other culture), the abuse of women and children, especially women and children from certain socio-economic groups, is accepted as inevitable and almost acceptable. The same goes for rape and domestic abuse.• What is not talked about in depth is the role of social services, the police and the courts. What these girls all had in common were that they were in care and very, very vulnerable. Most children in care will have usually come from an abusive family background. All of them tried to tell a responsible adult what was happening to them but they were not listened to. What white people don't want to admit, but the evidence is clearly there, is that in white culture (just like every other culture), the abuse of women and children, especially women and children from certain socio-economic groups, is accepted as inevitable and almost acceptable. The same goes for rape and domestic abuse.
Social workers etc only reflect the prevailing social attitudes, as do the courts. There is an inability in white British culture to reflect on social attitudes to masculinity, power and abuse. It's much easier to blame the other, in this instance Muslim men, who fit a construct of pathologised masculinity.
Sarah Haworth
Colyton, Devon		Social workers etc only reflect the prevailing social attitudes, as do the courts. There is an inability in white British culture to reflect on social attitudes to masculinity, power and abuse. It's much easier to blame the other, in this instance Muslim men, who fit a construct of pathologised masculinity.
Sarah Haworth
Colyton, Devon
• Sexual predation must be one of the few areas of criminal behaviour where the police (and other authorities) are ready to be completely compliant with requests by possible victims to drop an investigation (Vulnerable girls' lives turned into a living hell, 15 May). Surely if the police have any inkling that crimes of this sort are being committed (especially when the possible victims are so clearly vulnerable – under age, addicted) they should pursue their investigations even more vigorously, regardless of such requests.• Sexual predation must be one of the few areas of criminal behaviour where the police (and other authorities) are ready to be completely compliant with requests by possible victims to drop an investigation (Vulnerable girls' lives turned into a living hell, 15 May). Surely if the police have any inkling that crimes of this sort are being committed (especially when the possible victims are so clearly vulnerable – under age, addicted) they should pursue their investigations even more vigorously, regardless of such requests.
There are many ways they can pursue unproven crime besides relying wholly on personal testimony. Surely that's why we have plainclothes police officers who can go undercover and find hard evidence. The apparent naivety of all the authorities involved is incredible. Or was it that they too had no respect for young girls whom they saw simply as "having gone off the rails"?
Gillian Dalley
London		There are many ways they can pursue unproven crime besides relying wholly on personal testimony. Surely that's why we have plainclothes police officers who can go undercover and find hard evidence. The apparent naivety of all the authorities involved is incredible. Or was it that they too had no respect for young girls whom they saw simply as "having gone off the rails"?
Gillian Dalley
London
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