Although there has been a series of high-profile British court cases in which men of South Asian heritage were convicted of sexually exploiting vulnerable white girls, authorities are failing to spot cases in which men target girls from their own ethnic group, the Muslim Women’s Network UK said.
Asian girls are reluctant to report sexual abuse to the police because they fear that they will not be believed or that they will bring dishonour to their families, according to the group, which advises the British government on issues facing Muslim women.
The Muslim Women’s Network said it had uncovered 35 cases in which young Asians had been sexually exploited. Most of the victims said their abusers were men from the same ethnic group.
Haleh Afshar, the group’s president, said there had been a ‘deafening silence’ on the sexual abuse of young Asian girls.
‘In all communities victims of such violence find it difficult to report sexual abuse and seek support. Among Asians and Muslims this is exacerbated by a culture of honour and shame,’ she wrote in a foreword to the report. The group was unable to speak directly to the victims but said it had collected evidence from charities who had contact with them, as well as police, healthcare workers and other officials.