Health worker who exposed Rochdale child sex abuse ring awarded MBE

A former health worker has been awarded an MBE for the role she played in exposing a child sex abuse ring in Rochdale.

Sara Rowbotham worked as the Rochdale Crisis Intervention Team co-ordinator from 2004 to 2014, where she repeatedly raised concerns about dozens of young girls who she believed to be at risk.

Sara was concerned that girls as young as thirteen were being plied with drink and drugs and ‘passed around’ by older men who used them for sex, and subsequently made hundreds of referrals detailing the abuse and sexual grooming of young people. 

She became an integral part of the prosecution of nine men, who were each convicted of sex trafficking and other offences including rape, trafficking girls for sex and conspiracy to engage in sexual activity with a child. 

Rochdale Borough Council

In 2017 a drama on the scandal, Three Girls, was released by the BBC and saw Maxine Peake portray the role of Sara. Following this, there were overwhelming calls for her to be formally recognised for her services to the Rochdale community.

And on Tuesday, March 15th, Sara was appointed MBE for services to young people at a ceremony at Windsor Castle.

Speaking to PA News Agency about receiving the prestigious award, Sara said: “I’m quite emotional really, it’s been an exciting and really lovely day.

“It’s quite emotional to think things have come so far, and to receive this honour is really important. It really reminds me of those times and it’s almost a bit of a trigger after coming to the end of such a horrible situation.

“To be recognised for the hard work and energy and effort of not only myself but the rest of my team is really important.”

She went on to stress the importance of people understanding the complexities of exploitation, saying it is a ‘really difficult phenomena’.

She said: “I did feel as though I was kind of being pushed aside – for then everybody else to recognise that I did the right thing is validation really. The energy and effort that was put in, the anger and the frustration that I felt is acknowledged.

“I think it [abuse] probably is still happening but what our work did was allow victims to come forward.”

Sara now works as a Labour Councillor for North Middleton Ward.