We need to shut down child sex abuse in seedy hotels, says Lisa Nandy MP

Lisa Nandy MP says we need new laws to help police crack down on hotels that host child sex abuse after MPs met at a Parliamentary debate yesterday to discuss ways to improve child protection. The Wigan MP has called for new laws to help police crack down on B&Bs and hostels that cover up sexual abuse:

“A worrying phenomenon has come to light: the frequent use of hotels and B&Bs to groom abuse and rape children in communities across the country. Some of these establishments know exactly what’s happening on their premises. Many rent rooms by the hour, some hotels have deleted their guest entries and in one case the Police were aided in their investigation by guest comments about underage girls on the website Trip Advisor.

At the moment, hotels have no specific legal responsibilities to register anyone staying on the premises who is under 16. Hotels don’t require a specific license to operate, unless they are licensed to sell alcohol, and have no specific duties to report suspected child abuse. Tackling this is essential.”

Lisa Nandy’s call for laws to tackle hotels hosting child abuse comes after a series of historic grooming cases have shocked the public and the press. In June, the Alder House Hotel in Kirklees was the first to be named and shamed in the sex abuse scandal, after councillors revoked its premises licence.  This week, a dossier reveals sexual abuse allegations against late Lib Dem MP Sir Cyril Smith. Last month, the Times reported the story of Jessica, a Rotherham girl who suffered alleged sexual abuse at the hands of Arshid Hussain while social services stood by. In June, a sexual grooming gang were convicted after they abused young girls in seedy hotel rooms in Oxford, and in March, news came to light that a gang of Pakistani men in Rochdale were grooming underage girls in kebab shops, taxis and budget hotels.

Evidence from the Deputy Children’s Commissioner suggests that hotels and B&Bs may be the location for sex abuse in up to a third of child grooming cases. But Lisa Nandy says it is not just about policing the places where such abuse takes place:

“We still don’t listen to children or act on what they tell us well enough. Over the summer we heard a disturbing array of voices from lawyers to newspaper columnists blaming children for their own abuse. We know that too often children are retraumatised when they seek justice, accused of lying on the witness stand, forced to confront their abusers in Court and left without the specialist help they need afterwards. And we know that we need more awareness campaigns.”

Lisa’s comments echo the concerns of some journalists, who are deeply concerned about how child victims are treated when they come forward. Times journalist Andrew Norfolk, who has led on reporting the abuse, wrote:

“I have watched eight criminal trials over the past 32 months, each featuring a group of men accused of multiple offences linked to the organised sexual exploitation of girls. Exploited by men, they were now abused once more — by the judicial system.”

Lisa Nandy MP says she is determined to spring Parliament into action to combat child sex abuse: “This week I asked Education Ministers to set up a cross-departmental working group, with representatives from the hotel industry, child protection experts and others to recommend how law and regulation can be strengthened so that we protect more children. We know that we can and must do more to protect children. It’s time to take action.”