David
31-03-06, 11:48
29th March, 2006
Muslim schools in the UK are failing to adequately protect children from abuse, a leading group of Muslim intellectuals warned this week.
In a new report released this week, Dr Ghayasuddin Siddiqui (pictured) said it was a taboo subject that needed to be tackled before British madrasas get embroiled in controversy like the Roman Catholic church in the 1990s.
He co-authored the report and heads the lobby group Muslim Parliament of Great Britain.
He said it would be "simplistic and naïve" to think Muslim families were immune from child abuse at religious institutions, and "very little discussion" was taking place on the subject at any level.
"Absence of a good-practice guide on child protection and the perception that abuse exists in madrasas warranted a report to break the taboo in order to make all concerned in the community realise that sweeping the subject under the carpet is not the solution," he says in the report.
"To protect the integrity of these valued institutions it is important that all madrasas across the United Kingdom put in place a transparent and accountable policies and procedures as a matter of urgency."
There are around 700 madrasas in Britain that teach basic Islam to pupils of school-going age after-school hours, with approximately 100,000 children attending them every year.
"In madrasas up to 40% hit or scold their pupils; cases of sex abuse, 15-20 per year, were considered by insiders as being an understatement. It would have been surprising if there were no cases of child abuse as Muslims societies are after all like any other human society," Dr Siddiqui states.
Worry over abuse had made an increasing number of parents switch to home tution instead. Most madrasas in the UK are part of local mosques.
He adds: "Out of some 150 local authorities in England and Wales only a handful have taken positive initiatives, involving their local mosques and madrasas, to put in place guidelines to meet their legal obligation as required by the Children Act 1989.
"This report is intended to highlight the issue of child welfare and the need to recognise children’s right to be safe. Hopefully a healthy debate within the community will follow its publication."
The Children's charity NSPCC welcomed the report. Spokeswoman Diana Sutton said: "We are concerned that madrasas are not required to follow the same child protection procedures as schools and other statutory bodies."
Authors of the study have asked the government to establish a national registration scheme for madrasas to help them meet their legal obligations as required by the Children Act 1989. They also want better training for staff and volunteers.
In December 2004 a Pakistani MP revealed that hundreds of child abuse claims from madrasas every year were not being adequately dealt with.
Muslim schools in the UK are failing to adequately protect children from abuse, a leading group of Muslim intellectuals warned this week.
In a new report released this week, Dr Ghayasuddin Siddiqui (pictured) said it was a taboo subject that needed to be tackled before British madrasas get embroiled in controversy like the Roman Catholic church in the 1990s.
He co-authored the report and heads the lobby group Muslim Parliament of Great Britain.
He said it would be "simplistic and naïve" to think Muslim families were immune from child abuse at religious institutions, and "very little discussion" was taking place on the subject at any level.
"Absence of a good-practice guide on child protection and the perception that abuse exists in madrasas warranted a report to break the taboo in order to make all concerned in the community realise that sweeping the subject under the carpet is not the solution," he says in the report.
"To protect the integrity of these valued institutions it is important that all madrasas across the United Kingdom put in place a transparent and accountable policies and procedures as a matter of urgency."
There are around 700 madrasas in Britain that teach basic Islam to pupils of school-going age after-school hours, with approximately 100,000 children attending them every year.
"In madrasas up to 40% hit or scold their pupils; cases of sex abuse, 15-20 per year, were considered by insiders as being an understatement. It would have been surprising if there were no cases of child abuse as Muslims societies are after all like any other human society," Dr Siddiqui states.
Worry over abuse had made an increasing number of parents switch to home tution instead. Most madrasas in the UK are part of local mosques.
He adds: "Out of some 150 local authorities in England and Wales only a handful have taken positive initiatives, involving their local mosques and madrasas, to put in place guidelines to meet their legal obligation as required by the Children Act 1989.
"This report is intended to highlight the issue of child welfare and the need to recognise children’s right to be safe. Hopefully a healthy debate within the community will follow its publication."
The Children's charity NSPCC welcomed the report. Spokeswoman Diana Sutton said: "We are concerned that madrasas are not required to follow the same child protection procedures as schools and other statutory bodies."
Authors of the study have asked the government to establish a national registration scheme for madrasas to help them meet their legal obligations as required by the Children Act 1989. They also want better training for staff and volunteers.
In December 2004 a Pakistani MP revealed that hundreds of child abuse claims from madrasas every year were not being adequately dealt with.