Every one of us has the civic power to write to our local MPs to raise awareness about important community issues which is why BPF has compiled an email template that our members can use to send to their MPs.
I am writing to express my deep concern about the recent comments made by Home Secretary Suella Braverman, which target the British Pakistani community. Her comments, in which she implied that there was a link between all British Pakistani males, and the sexual abuse of children, were both unfair and incorrect. In particular, her statements that this is a British Pakistani male issue are contradicted by a Home Office report published in 2020 and reinforced by the conviction only last week in Walsall of 21 white individuals for perpetrating these very acts over the last decade.
As a member of your constituency, I strongly urge you to raise this issue in parliament and call for Ms Braverman’s comments to be withdrawn. It is important that we do not allow harmful and baseless stereotypes to be perpetuated, particularly by those in positions of authority.
We all abhor child sexual exploitation, but it is crucial to remember that the actions of a few cannot be projected onto a whole community. It is unfair and wrong to paint an entire group of people with the same brush, based on the actions of a small minority of whatever ethnic group they come from.
Words have consequences – by stigmatising an entire community, and making it the “face” of child sexual exploitation, the Home Secretary’s remarks will detract attention from perpetrators who don’t meet her stereotypes, harming the very victims the Home Secretary ostensibly set out to protect but also further perpetrating violence against minorities.
I implore you to take a strong stand against harmful rhetoric that only serves to divide us and to work towards promoting unity and understanding between communities.
Thank you for your attention to this important matter.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
