This is a text-only version of an article first published on Tuesday, 3 March 2015. Information shown on this page may no longer be current.
JOINT STATEMENT BY OXFORD FAITH AND COMMUNITY LEADERS FOLLOWING PUBLICATION OF THE SERIOUS CASE REVIEW RELATING TO THE BULLFINCH CASEFaith leaders representing the diversity of religious traditions in Oxford (under the aegis of the Oxford Council of Faiths) and civic and community leaders have come together to offer this Joint Statement following the publication of the findings of the Serious Case Review (See OSCBPressRelease3 March 2015 )."We want to make it absolutely clear that child sexual exploitation is an abhorrent and wicked crime.
It is contrary to the faith and teachings of all our religions.
Our thoughts and prayers are with those young people, who have suffered through the crimes of others, and also with their families and carers, as they provide vital support to help the survivors rebuild their lives. "We must remember that it was through the courage and bravery of these young survivors of horrific abuse, speaking out and acting as witnesses in court, that the perpetrators of this wicked crime are behind bars.
We hope that this has made the Oxford area a safer place. "The Serious Case Review findings point to systemic failings and the absence of joined-up thinking in the way key statutory bodies dealt with the cases of child sexual exploitation in Oxford.
As we move forward together, we would urge the statutory bodies to continue to learn from past mistakes, and to ensure that robust systems develop still further to combat this wicked crime."We must all keep children and their safety at the centre of all that is done.
We encourage victims of such crimes to come forward, not to suffer in silence but to speak out.
We are determined that you will be heard and supported.
We pledge to do all that we can to ensure that robust systems are in place and proper training provided within our communities, so as to ensure that we are all vigilant to the signs and symptoms of child abuse. "As faith and community leaders in Oxford, we renew our commitment to work in partnership with the police, the local authorities and all partner agencies to root out child sexual exploitation from our society. " ENDS. Faith and Community SignatoriesThe Rt Revd Colin Fletcher OBE, Acting Bishop of OxfordPenny Faust, Chair, Oxford Council of FaithsImam Monawar Hussain, Founder, The Oxford FoundationCllr Mohammed AbbasiPastor Dupe Adefala, Word Fountain Christian Ministries& Lay Member Oxfordshire Safeguarding Children BoardRiaz Ahmed, Former President Madina MosqueCllr Mohammed Altaf-KhanMohammed Alyas, Secretary, Central Oxford MosqueImam Ahsan Amin, Central Oxford MosqueCllr Jamila AzadRevd Peter Ball, County Ecumenical Development Officer, Churches Together in OxfordshireProf.
Jonathan Bard, President, Oxford Jewish CongregationCllr Elise Benjamin, Former Lord Mayor of Oxford (2011-12)Revd Kat Bracewell, New Road Baptist Church J.
Dogar, Vice Chair, Central Oxford Mosque Bede Gerrard, Chair, South East England Faiths ForumGian Gopal, Chair, Oxford Hindu Temple and Community Centre ProjectThe Venerable Martin Gorick, Archdeacon of Oxford and Interfaith Advisor, Oxford DioceseDerek James, African-Caribbean CommunityBishop William Kenny, Auxiliary Bishop, Archdiocese of BirminghamSadat Khan, President, Madina MosqueImam Ataullah Khan, Madina MosqueJawaid Malik, Treasurer, Oxford Council of FaithsMoznu Miah, Bath Street MosqueAhmed Abdul Rahman, Community Development Officer, Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME)Aziz Rahman, Bangladeshi CommunityLuthfur Rahman, Bangladeshi Mosque and Islamic CentrePastor Grady Reid, Christian Life Centre ChurchPastor Memory Tapfumaneyi, Oxford Pastors ForumMetropolitan Kallistos (Ware), Orthodox Bishop in OxfordThe Revd Dr Martin Wellings, Superintendent, Oxford Methodist CircuitVery Revd Bob Wilkes, City RectorCllr Revd Dick Wolff ;For interview requests, please contactSarah Meyrick, Director of Communications and Bishops' Press Officer, Diocese of Oxford01865 208224 07824 906839Penny Faust 01865 768140Riaz Ahmed 07712 043745Imam Monawar Hussain 07710 561499