Child sexual exploitation (CSE) is a type of sexual abuse. When a child or young person is exploited and enticed into engaging in sexual activity in exchange for gifts, drugs, or money by the person who is perpetrating or facilitating the abuse (NSPCC).
Over the last 10 years this issue has been reported nationally and highlighted in the media. Many local authorities were brought to trial over the mishandling of the cases in certain towns. Many of the highlighted cases involved Asian men and white victims, such as in the Rotherham, Keighley and Rochdale cases.
In an independent report by Professor Alexis Jay, it was estimated that around 1400 children were sexually exploited between 1997 and 2013. The report looks into the systematic failures of statutory organisations such as the police and the local authority. The report highlighted the fact that the perpetrators were from the town’s Pakistani-heritage community.
Keighley and Bradford were also under investigation for grooming gangs. This created a clear divide in the community. Hatred built up and discussions started to take place in community centres. The parents of the victims were questioning the Asian community and demanded answers as to what action they were taking to address and tackle the situation.
The FRAGILE project was set up in 2016 by Muslim Women’s Council to attempt to tackle the issue of CSE locally. FRAGILE is an acronym for Forced, Raped, Abused, Groomed, Illicit, Lured, Exploited. CSE has always been a taboo subject and we felt it was about time that members of the community started to have conversations about this rather than ignoring it or hoping the issue will just disappear.
FRAGILE was one of the first projects to tackle such a sensitive issue within the Bradford community. Due to the nature of the topic, it was agreed that issues relating to unhealthy controlling relationships would be introduced in the project to start the discussions, rather than tackling the issue head on.
FRAGILE was a two-year pilot that was set up to challenge the cultural norms linked to Child Sexual Abuse (CSA) in South Asian communities. Delivered in Bradford, it engaged 152 men, women and young people in a structured 40-hour programme of discussion looking at topics such as religious, cultural and traditional attitudes to women, sex and ethnicity, family structures and power hierarchies in South Asian homes, perceived impunity to the law on certain issues, gender roles within the home, gender norms and acceptable behaviour, the impact of some parenting styles in South Asian homes, challenging traditional/cultural/faith perceptions of the above and identifying early warning signs in victims and perpetrators.
Overall, the project’s objective was to identify ways to move the community culture away from denial to reflection, self-vigilance and open dialogue to protect young people from abusive relationships and equip young people to protect themselves and others.
