It’s time to fast-track our adoption process

The debate surrounding the sexual exploitation of thousands of children over decades, which has re-ignited this week, should act as a reproach to the nation. The details laid out in court transcripts, in the testimonies of victims, show how completely the institutions of the state failed them.

The case for a comprehensive national inquiry to determine what further lessons still need to be learned has been well made by the leader of the opposition. The work of Alexis Jay in uncovering the terrible crimes committed in Rotherham and her subsequent wider-ranging inquiry into other areas of child sexual abuse were powerful interventions. But it is no criticism of her or her team to acknowledge that there is more that needs to be done, many profoundly difficult questions that still require detailed answers.

The journalist who first brought the scale of this scandal to light, Andrew Norfolk, the former chief investigative reporter of the Times, has rightly argued that there are complex ethnic, cultural and religious factors that require careful examination. The fact that so many of the perpetrators of terrible sexual violence came from Pakistani diaspora communities raises unignorable challenges. As Norfolk has pointed out, questions of Islamic jurisprudence, cousin and arranged marriages, wider attitudes towards women and girls, and a reluctance to invite scrutiny of intra-community disputes, all need to be analysed and investigated. That such work must be handled with sensitivity is obvious. But it cannot be ducked, if we are to ensure that the attitudes and actions which have caused such terrible suffering are to be properly addressed and effectively dealt with.

Just as important, however, as addressing the factors behind the criminal actions of the perpetrators is ensuring much better protection for those who are at risk of becoming victims.