Indian diaspora groups slam use of term 'Asian' in UK child sex abuse scandal

Indian diaspora groups in the UK have expressed strong objections to the use of the term "Asian" in reference to a historic child sexual abuse scandal involving gangs of men of Pakistani heritage.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer defended his record, stating that he reopened such cases and brought the first prosecution of an "Asian grooming gang" in Rochdale during his tenure as head of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) between 2008 and 2013.

The Network of Sikh Organisations (NSO) criticised Starmer's statement, highlighting their long-standing complaint about the vague terminology referencing the wider South Asian community.

"This use of the vague reference to 'Asian' grooming gangs is extremely disappointing from the Prime Minister," NSO said in a statement quoted by news agency PTI.

They called for greater accuracy in reporting, noting that fear of discussing the ethnicity or religion of the perpetrators has worsened the situation for victims.

Another organisation, the Sikh Federation UK, also echoed similar concerns, warning against using the generic reference for political correctness.

"Politicians by continuing to use the misleading term 'Asian grooming gangs' shows they are more worried about votes and do not have a clue how to address a perverse upbringing mixed with a religious philosophy of forced religious conversion that has been allowed to thrive for decades without being called out," the federation posted on X.

British Hindu groups have also raised concerns about political correctness among UK authorities, which they believe is failing the victims of such crimes. Insight UK noted that authorities have preferred to use the term "Asian" to avoid being labelled racist or Islamophobic, and some have ignored the problem, hoping it would go away.

UK Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced plans to include tougher measures in the Crime and Policing Bill, making it mandatory for organisations and institutions to report child sexual abuse. Cooper pointed to reports from a decade ago that found 1,400 children had been sexually exploited, raped, trafficked, abducted, beaten, and threatened with guns.

She noted that the reports identified a failure to confront Pakistani heritage gangs and a widespread perception that ethnic dimensions should be downplayed to avoid being seen as racist.

The issue has gained attention again since Tesla CEO Elon Musk used his X platform to criticise the UK government's handling of the scandal, sparking a war of words with the Starmer-led government.

The Opposition Conservatives have used the issue to attack the Labour government, while ministers highlight Tory failures from when the party was in charge.

(With inputs from PTI)