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Safeguarding Children (Sexual Exploitation)

I am glad that I have the opportunity to raise this subject and that we have a new Minister to respond to the debate. I know this is a matter that will concern both her and the rest of the Chamber. As a country, we work the longest hours, and are the least trusting and the loneliest people in the western world, according to recent surveys. We have record levels of family breakdowns, teenage pregnancies, drug abuse and violent crime. People in this country feel powerless, anxious and insecure. They no longer feel responsible for their neighbour and do not care or know what is happening next door. We live in a dislocated and broken society, with the breakdown of the family unit at the heart of the problem. The cogs of our society have been worn out, and now we face a very new and dangerous problem.