On the 16th March 2015 I was involved in an interfaith debate about child sexual exploitation. It was a brave first step in bringing communities together to tackle this issue in light of Operation Sanctuary and other similar cases in Rochdale, Rotherham and Oxford, to name just a few.
The purpose of the event was to highlight that child sexual exploitation occurs in all communities and all cultures, and that it is an issue for society as a whole to address.
Speakers included Umme Imam and Vera Baird, and chair of the Muslim Women’s Network, Shaista Gohair, who presented her research.
In the debate we were joined by Imam Raza and Labour Councillor Dipu Ahad. Shahda Khan MBE who organised the event has now been asked to hold events all over the region in light of Monday’s success.
A video of Cris’ speech is below – with thanks to AnandMediaHouse.
