Almost 200 children PER MONTH have reported sexual abuse in the area in the last six years, but just 7% of those cases have ended in a conviction
Hundreds of kids are at risk from predators in a city where child sex abuse is now part of “everyday life”, a shocking report warned yesterday.
The Greater Manchester Police inquiry found some youngsters were regularly approached by men.
And Labour MP Ann Coffey, who led the inquiry, warned the 650 kids reported missing from care homes were the most vulnerable and could be at risk from predatory gangs.
Nearly 200 children a month have reported being sexually abused in Greater Manchester over the past six years. But just 7% of the 13,000 cases ended in a conviction.
The report was ordered following criticism of how the police and councils handled the Rochdale and Rotherham child grooming scandals.
Ms Coffey said: “My observations will make painful reading for those who hoped Rochdale was an isolated case.
“This is a real and ongoing problem.”
Greater Manchester child abuse
650
Number of children missing from care homes
200
Children who report sexual abuse per month
7%
Percentage of cases ending in a conviction
Greater Manchester Police
Scores of children told the inquiry being approached was part of “everyday life”.
One girl abused by a gang of men at 14 is still waiting for her case to come to court 10 years later. She said: “I did try and get the help, but nobody wanted to know.
Ms Coffey said children are still often blamed for the abuse by police and prosecutors rather than treated as victims.
Her report uncovered one Crown Prosecution Service file which noted a child victim had been “wearing a crop-top”.
Another noted the victim’s dad had called her a “slag”. Both files were marked for no further action by the CPS.
The Stockport MP said: “Whatever young people wear, and however sexualised they appear, they are still children and need our protection.”
Home Secretary Theresa May admitted there had been “unacceptable failings”.
