Why a National Inquiry Into Grooming Gangs Took This Long

Inaya Folarin Iman and Ada Akpala on a nation’s moral failure

For years, the grooming gang scandal, a pattern of organised child sexual exploitation, destroyed the lives of thousands of young girls. And for just as long, institutions, from the police to politicians to the media, turned a blind eye.

The perpetrators, in many of the most well-documented cases, were groups of predominantly Pakistani Muslim men operating in cities like Rotherham, Telford, and Rochdale.

Despite mounting evidence and the bravery of victims and whistleblowers, political leaders and institutions often refused to act. Why? Because acknowledging the ethnic and cultural patterns in these crimes disrupted political and ideological orthodoxies.

This week, after years of denial, the UK government announced a national inquiry. It’s a step forward, but many argue it comes far too late for the victims whose voices were ignored or silenced for decades.

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Baroness Louise Casey’s recent findings confirmed what many suspected all along: authorities repeatedly failed to intervene due to fears of being accused of racism. Data on the ethnicity of perpetrators was not systematically recorded, often deliberately avoided. In some regions where data was tracked more carefully, there was clear evidence of disproportionate offending by Pakistani Muslim men.

In a recent video, Inaya Folarin Iman and Ada Akpala discussed this latest U-turn. They discuss some of the reasons behind institutional failure: ideological rigidity, fear of appearing racist, and the weaponisation of identity politics that prevented meaningful action.

“This scandal is a huge stain on this country and it’s not going to go away for a very long time.” – Ada Akpala

The discussion also touched on the moral contradictions in today’s discourse on race. As Iman noted, when white perpetrators commit crimes, the conversation is readily racialised - used as evidence of “whiteness” or patriarchy. But when the dynamic is reversed, the conversation is often shut down, or worse, turned into a victim-blaming exercise for even raising the issue.

“White privilege didn’t protect these girls — in fact, their ‘whiteness’ made them easier to ignore.” – Inaya Folarin Iman

The silence around these crimes didn’t protect minority communities - it damaged them. It bred mistrust, resentment, and cynicism. It gave space to actual racists to exploit the issue, precisely because those who should have spoken up were too afraid to do so.

The full video is available to watch below.

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