The Rotherham child sexual exploitation: An analysis of organisational and criminological contributors

Abstract The Rotherham child sexual exploitation (CSE) brought to light one of the worst incidences of organised child sexual abuse in the United Kingdom, with estimates of more than 1400 child victims who were sexually exploited between the 1990s and 2013 in Rotherham. This chapter seeks to provide an analysis of the causes and contributors to this prolonged and pervasive series of CSE through examining open-sourced inquiry and investigative reports and being informed by relevant perspectives and theories of crime. Findings reveal the presence of salient investigative and operational shortcomings of implicated agencies and organisations as well as plausible criminological factors across society that fuelled the spread and persistence of these crimes. Some recommendations to mitigate and manage CSE are presented at the end of this chapter as learning lessons from the Rotherham incident.