London [UK], January 8 : United Kingdom Safeguarding Minister, Jess Phillips said on Wednesday, that "nothing is off the table" in connection with the grooming gangs scandal, and they won't shy away from national inquiry if victims want one, Sky News reported.
"And if the victims come forward to me in this victims' panel and they say, 'actually, we think there needs to be a national inquiry into this', I'll listen to them," she said.
Phillips said that the measures she is setting are aimed at keeping children safe.
"The measures that I'm setting out today and the legislation in many ways go further because it puts a requirement on all councils to have teams working to keep children safe," she said.
Phillips also slammed the opposition Conservative Party, over their charge that the UK government doesn't care about children, and said the Conservatives never brought such legislations while they were in power.
"And the bandwagon jumpers that have come along in recent days, they don't care about children, they don't care about making sure that we stop this and we take action," she said, adding, "They had years to do it and they didn't do it."
This comes amid rising concerns over the multiple incidents of crimes against children and young girls, by the 'sexual-grooming gangs'
Earlier in the day, Hindu Council UK (HCUK) demanded a national public inquiry into sexual-grooming gangs across the United Kingdom, condemning the "heinous crimes" committed against children and young girls.
The organisation has called on the UK government to fulfil its responsibility of safeguarding vulnerable individuals and ensuring justice for the victims of these atrocities.
{{{{twitter_post_id####}}}}https://t.co/3Mm5jxNTJI pic.twitter.com/3VSef0ehgs— Hindu Council (UK) (@hinducouncil_uk) January 7, 2025
The HCUK emphasised the urgency of addressing the issue, citing a 2011 report by The Times that exposed the widespread grooming of girls in several UK towns. Three years later, the first inquiry revealed that approximately 1,400 children had fallen victim to predators in one English town alone.
According to the HCUK, the UK criminal justice system has repeatedly failed to protect victims from predatory men, necessitating a full investigation into these scandals. "It is the prime responsibility of the Government to safeguard and protect children and young people against these heinous crimes," the HCUK stated.
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