I am intrigued at the moment to see the nation’s reaction to the disappearance of 15 year old Megan Stammers with her 30 year old teacher.

Whilst this is undoubtedly an incident which is extremely concerning to any parent, I find it hard to reconcile the attitude of the Police and media towards this with the attitude shown to the victims of paedophile rings. 

At Farleys in our Specialist Abuse Department we act for numerous such victims.  A common theme in their cases is a failure by anyone to help them.  I know of one particular case where the mother of a teenager; who was much younger than Megan; went to extremes to try and get the Police and Social Services to help her because her daughter was regularly having intercourse with innumerable males in a paedophile ring, but nobody was prepared to intervene. 

I await with interest the report into the Rochdale abuse rings which is due tomorrow (27th September) and also the outcome of the questions which are to be raised of the Chief Constable of South Yorkshire in relation to the sexual abuse of young girls in the county.  I wonder whether the background of some of our clients explains the inexcusable lack of action to protect them as children.