More step forward in UK child sex abuse

British police say 12 new victims have come forward with allegations related to the Rotherham child sex abuse scandal.

South Yorkshire Chief Constable David Crompton said on Tuesday that the police had been contacted by 12 new potential victims since the publication of the report.

He also said the team specializing in child sex abuse cases had been expanded from three members in 2010 to eight in 2012 and 62 at the present.

“We must give victims the confidence to come forward in the knowledge that all agencies will listen, will act, provide appropriate support, and relentlessly pursue those who offend against our young people,” he said.

Earlier on Tuesday, Britain’s Home Secretary Theresa May said that the government is considering carrying out an inspection of the Rotherham Council over “inadequate scrutiny by councilors, institutionalized political correctness and covering-up of information and the failure to take action against gross misconduct.”

Last week, an independent probe by Professor Alexis Jay revealed that 1,400 children were sexually exploited during a 16-year time period in Rotherham.

The report said that in some cases, children as young as 11 years old, were “raped by multiple perpetrators, trafficked to other towns and cities in the north of England, abducted, beaten and intimidated.”

Following the publication of the report, Rotherham Borough Council leader Roger Stone announced his resignation. He had been serving since 2003.

Recent reports show that British schools have witnessed a 40-percent rise in sex-crime reports from 2011 to 2013, with at least 2,865 cases being recorded.

SRK/AS/MHB