Children Being Sold For Sex By Their Parents In Glasgow
17 November 2017, 11:59
An investigation has found that children are being sold for sex by their own family in Nicola Sturgeon's constituency in Glasgow.
The report says that Roma kids being forced into prostitution in Govanhill.
And in a situation that mirrors the problems in Rotherham, it is claimed that officials have known about it for years, but turned blind eye for fear of being branded racist.
Margaret, who owns a bar in Govanhill, told LBC her customers are propositioned all the time by children.
She said: "A lot of the customers get propositioned by young girls. They're offered anything they want for £5, £10.
"Last week, the guy who came in said the wee girl was only 15. She stopped him over in that corner and just asked him if he was looking for business."
Reporter Marc Horne, who has worked on the story, told LBC: "There was about 12 guys in the bar, 12 regulars. The owner said to raise their hand if they had been propositioned by a young child for sex.
"Every single one of those male hands went up.
"I was astonished to see that and that's when I knew there was a serious problem."
A spokesperson for Ms Sturgeon said: "These are deeply concerning claims, and anyone with evidence of suspected criminality should inform the police. The first minister is closely engaged with issues in the area - her constituency office is situated in the heart of Govanhill and she holds regular surgeries and meetings for local people.
"Govanhill, like many areas, faces specific challenges and it is important that all sections of the community are included and involved in addressing those challenges."
Detective Superintendent Alwyn Bell of Police Scotland said: “Glasgow child protection committee and the numerous statutory and voluntary agencies represented have robust, well-established child protection procedures.
"Child sexual exploitation is a constant threat within our communities and an area all partners are alert to.
"As a partnership, we constantly review our procedures in an attempt to continuously improve our services and learn from good practice elsewhere."