WIDESPREAD child sex abuse like that uncovered this week in Rotherham “can happen anywhere” — but perpetrators in Bolton “will be rooted out”, experts have said.
Like the other nine authorities in Greater Manchester, Bolton Council contributes to Project Phoenix, set up in 2012 to help catch paedophiles operating across police, NHS and council boundaries.
Gail Hopper, a board member of Project Phoenix, said an “unfortunate” truth is that child sex exploitation can happen anywhere.
Mrs Hopper said: “It is only when everyone in our communities understands that by sharing their concerns, those small and apparently insignificant bits of information can be pieced together like a jigsaw to help bring perpetrators to justice.”
A report from Professor Alexis Jay found collective failure by authorities to prevent CSE in Rotherham with 1,400 sexually exploited.
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