I worked on the independent inquiry into child sexual abuse – here’s what Elon Musk is missing

Elon Musk’s intervention into British politics has revived the debate about how the government responds to child sexual abuse, particularly by “grooming gangs”. While this is an important discussion, as a researcher of child sexual abuse I am concerned that Musk’s comments have done more to spread misconceptions and harm victims than to protect children.

I was a researcher at the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA). My colleagues and I received and analysed the experiences of more than 6,000 survivors of child sexual abuse. Here is what I wish Musk understood before intervening.

The national narrative around grooming gangs has focused on high-profile cases in Rochdale, Rotherham and other towns, where groups of men, mainly from Pakistani backgrounds, were convicted of sexually abusing and raping over a thousand girls between 1997 and 2013, some as young as 11.

A number of local inquiries and reviews since have concluded that there were failures on multiple levels to appropriately investigate and respond to the crimes. Throughout, some politicians and campaigners have argued that these gangs (and others of their ethnic or religious background) pose the greatest threat to the sexual safety of children.

The reality is that a far greater threat is posed by those within the family and acquaintances and – in a majority white country such as the UK – probably by white perpetrators.

An inquiry in Rotherham clearly recognised that “there is no simple link between race and child sexual exploitation, and across the UK the greatest numbers of perpetrators of CSE [child sexual exploitation] are white men”.

This narrative also conveniently avoids 2020 Home Office research suggesting that most offenders in organised exploitation are white.

There are many challenges with data collection when it comes to ethnicity of offenders. But the raw numbers show that these specific grooming gang cases are not representative of the widespread child abuse issues in the UK. And no data exists to suggest that any one race or ethnic background is predisposed to sexual abuse.

The facts about abuse

In the UK, evidence shows that the majority of child sexual abuse is perpetrated by a family member, friend or acquaintance.

Research at IICSA found that 47% of the thousands of participants we spoke to were sexually abused by a family member, and 42% in the family home. The next most common perpetrator and location were reported less than half as much (other relationship 26%, school 15%).

Abuse taking place within families remains highly stigmatised. Many who experience it do not report it, often because they feel they will not be believed or protected appropriately.

The available research shows that child sexual abuse is a global issue, larger than any individual culture or ethnicity. A global study in 2011 found that rates were lowest in Asia and highest in Australia. The researchers recognised that this was likely due to reporting mechanisms and research methods rather than to innate cultural differences.

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Alongside replicating misconceptions about abuse, Musk’s comments can harm current victims and survivors, particularly in ethnic minority communities. Victims in those communities may be dissuaded from seeking help, for fear of confirming beliefs that their cultures are inherently abusive.

IICSA’s report into child sexual abuse in ethnic minority communities found that “cultural stereotypes and racism can lead to institutions and professionals failing to identify and respond to child sexual abuse and can make it difficult for people from ethnic minorities to speak up”.

I spoke with Michael May, former head of diverse communities at IICSA, who said:

Victims and survivors of south Asian heritage now face the additional burden of living in a society where a prominent narrative about their sexual and psychological instinct is that of perpetration. While most male victims have at some point identified a fear that they may be seen as potential perpetrators, men of south Asian heritage now struggle that their entire identity is inextricably linked with ideas of perpetration and danger they represent to children.

Female survivors with south Asian or Muslim identities will be impacted by ideas about safeguarding the reputation of their entire ethnicity or religion … this is on top of a legitimate fear that disclosures in the wider world will be used against them and those they love.

These comments also risk diverting public attention and political will from implementing the recommendations made by the IICSA. While Musk has called for a new public inquiry specifically into the grooming gangs, those who conducted the national child abuse inquiry have said that its key recommendations have yet to be implemented.

Where Musk can actually make a difference

My comments here are not intended to downplay the awful crimes committed in Rochdale and elsewhere, or to dismiss the lasting trauma they have left in their wake. Instead, I want to make sure that public anger, attention and funds are directed towards the most common perpetrators and in support of all victims of child sexual abuse.

Given Musk’s comments, I also think it is important to recognise the role of tech companies in grooming and child sexual exploitation.

Estimates from Childlight, the global child safety institute at the University of Edinburgh, suggest that globally more than 300 million children have been affected by abuse online. One in eight have faced non-consensual image offences (12.6%) and online solicitation (12.5%). And a National Crime Agency report published last year warned that the scale of child sexual abuse online is probably increasing and becoming more complex.

The platform Musk owns, X (formerly Twitter), has come under fire for how it handles reports of child sexual abuse. The company was fined by the Australian government in 2023 for non-compliance with an investigation into its practices.

Last year, a US Senate committee held a hearing of tech executives to testify about child safety, including sexual abuse and exploitation, on platforms. X’s CEO, Linda Yaccarino, only agreed to attend after receiving a government-issued subpoena.

As one of the big five tech companies, X has an important role to play in tackling online grooming, and the creation and dissemination of child sexual abuse images. My recent research with Susanna Alyce found that survivors of online child sexual abuse felt little was being done to recognise their experiences or respond to their recommendations.

Musk’s comments are a distraction not only from the facts of child abuse in the UK – which is mostly perpetrated within families, not by gangs – but from the role he could actually play in working to stop child abuse and exploitation online. When misunderstandings and misrepresentations of abuse go viral, it is survivors who suffer the most.

William Tantam is affiliated with the Network for Non-Recent Child Sexual Abuse - a network of professionals working on projects to bring change and raise awareness of non-recent child sexual abuse.