Shropshire Star comment: Listen to voices of the victims

Lives have been lost or despoiled as warnings went unheeded and predatory men took advantage of vulnerable youngsters.

The exact number of victims will never be known and is subject to debate. But we can chronicle the devastating effects that abuse has had on individuals.

The experience of Vernon Round, whose daughter Vicky was groomed, casts a dark shadow. The teenager was abused by groups of men who fed her drink and drugs before abusing her.

We can neither imagine nor understand what Mr Round and other members of Vicky’s family have endured. The loss of a child is the worst fate that can befall a parent. The road to recovery and acceptance is only ever hard and painful.

See also:

• How my daughter became a victim of child sexual exploitation - by Telford victim's father

• First meeting of Telford child sexual exploitation inquiry group set for this month

In Mr Round’s case it is made all the worse by those who seek to peddle their own ideology and who use Vicky’s story to promote an agenda with which few would agree.

The English Defence League, a far right protest movement, has used Vicky as a poster girl to launch a campaign. Mr Round, understandably, is upset.

He is shocked that anyone could seek to gain an advantage from the tragic death of his daughter and outraged that it should be linked, very specifically, to race. We must listen to him and to others – victims and their families – who have suffered because of the ongoing scandal in Telford.

Two inquiries have been launched to find out what happened, who was at fault, how abuse might have been prevented and what can be done in future to safeguard others. And those responsible must listen to such individuals as Mr Round. Because it is the victims and those closest to them who matter most. And it is their compelling testimonies that help us to understand the abusive and the depths of depravity to which some sunk.

There are groups in Telford who have linked abuse to ethnicity. And yet it is far too simplistic to do so. Cultural issues were clearly at play in some cases. However, those who use exploitation to promote hatred, intolerance and racism deserve short shrift. The problem is one of abuse, not race, and all efforts must be focused on stamping it out and achieving justice for victims.