Elon Musk, the Tories and the Dangers of Racialising Child Sexual Exploitation

This article was originally published in The National on 2 February 2025.

The trauma suffered by victims of child sexual exploitation (CSE) is profound and immeasurable. These young people suffer unimaginable pain, and any genuine conversation about CSE must prioritise victims.

However, the increasing trend of racialising the issue by prominent figures and politicians raises serious concerns, undermining efforts to protect vulnerable children while stoking division and Islamophobia.

In a series of controversial tweets, Elon Musk reignited the debate on grooming gangs, criticising the Labour government and calling for an inquiry into CSE in Oldham. Tory leader Kemi Badenoch quickly echoed Musk’s sentiment, while Nigel Farage defended him and demanded an investigation into Keir Starmer’s role. Musk, known for amplifying far-right narratives, is not motivated by a genuine desire to protect victims. Instead, he is using this issue to fuel right-wing hysteria and Islamophobia.

Others have been quick to jump on the bandwagon and place the racial and religious backgrounds of perpetrators at the heart of the matter. Shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick has been particularly outspoken claiming Pakistani men are “overrepresented” in grooming gangs and have “specifically preyed upon white working-class girls because they viewed them as worthless”.

In a lengthy tweet, Jenrick said the “mass migration” of Pakistani men from “alien cultures, who possess medieval attitudes towards women, brought us here.” Yet Jenrick himself failed to act on the outcome of an inquiry into CSE while we was in the Home Office, demonstrating his lack of genuine concern for victims. His rhetoric now serves to weaponise this horrific issue for political gain.

While it is true that some grooming gangs involved Pakistani men, others involved white men, demonstrating that these crimes are not confined to any one ethnic or religious group. CSE is a horrific crime that requires measures focused on justice for victims and the implementation of effective safeguards.

However, when political discourse racialises the issue, linking grooming gangs to Muslim or Pakistani men, it risks obscuring the true nature of the problem, and feeds into the “dangerous Muslim” stereotype.

Focusing on the ethnicity or religion of perpetrators diverts attention away from the systemic failures and practical solutions needed to protect victims and prevent future abuse.

The myth of “Muslim grooming gangs” has been perpetuated by certain Conservative politicians and far-right activists such as Tommy Robinson. The racial stereotype gained credence when the Quilliam Foundation claimed that 84% of offenders were Asian.

Former Home Secretaries, Suella Braverman and Sajid Javid reinforced the racist trope, framing the issue as one largely driven by Pakistani Muslim men. Braverman stated that “almost all” offenders are “Pakistani men,” while Javid described perpetrators as “sick Asian paedophiles,” further embedding this racialised view.

The persistent myth of “Muslim grooming gangs” has been repeatedly debunked by research and statistical data. Government-commissioned inquiries and independent studies show that the vast majority of CSE offenders are White.

A 2020 Home Office report found that most offenders were white men under 30. This is corroborated by a 2024 report from the Centre of Expertise on Child Sexual Abuse, which showed that 88% of defendants charged with CSE offences were white, while just 2% were Pakistani, contradicting the racialised narrative promoted by figures like Jenrick and Braverman.

In towns like Rotherham and Rochdale, where grooming gangs have been uncovered, the problem was not solely one of ethnicity or religion but of systemic failings across institutions. While some of the perpetrators were of Pakistani heritage, they were not acting because of their ethnicity or religion.

Focusing on these aspects distracts from the need to tackle the issues of abuse, exploitation, and the institutional failures that allowed these crimes to go unchecked for so long. Tackling CSE requires nuanced, evidence-based policies, not scapegoating and bigotry. Academics have argued that addressing CSE involves stopping the fixation on racist tropes and confronting repeated institutional failures.

Professor Alexis Jay, who led the national inquiry into child sexual abuse, has warned that a new investigation could slow down the changes already recommended to protect vulnerable young people.

What is needed now is action, not further divisive rhetoric. Jay’s recommendations, backed by experts in the field, focus on practical measures to prevent future exploitation and ensure better support for victims, not on the ethnicity or religion of perpetrators.

Professor Jay’s Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse concluded in 2022 under the Conservative government, yet the report’s 20 recommendations have not yet been implemented. Jenrick, Badenoch and the Tory Party more broadly did not implement these recommendations when they were in power, showing that justice for victims and preventing this from happening again is not their primary concern.

The Labour government are resisting another inquiry and focusing on implementing the Jay recommendations, and has committed to enhancing safeguarding measures and ensuring better support for survivors. These steps must be part of a broader, systemic approach that tackles the underlying causes of exploitation.

Politicians and public figures who use the issue of CSE to incite racial hatred and Islamophobia do nothing to protect children. They only serve to divide communities and perpetuate harmful stereotypes that fuel the far-right agenda.

The focus in addressing CSE must remain on the victims and the prevention of further abuse, not on promoting divisive rhetoric. The political use of CSE by figures like Elon Musk, Kemi Badenoch, and other right-wing voices is a dangerous distraction. It harms victims, fuels division and racism, and undermines efforts to protect children. This is a societal issue that requires a focused response that centres on the well-being of victims, the pursuit of justice, and the development of lasting solutions that protect all children from harm.