A review had found that documents relating to an unpublished report which detailed "men who are believed to be responsible for pimping and grooming young people into prostitution" in Rotherham, north east England, was sent to the Home Office in 2002, but the department failed to act on it.
The revelations were reported in the Home Office's internal review entitled: "The Rotherham Independent Review: a review into information passed to the Home Office in connection with allegations of Child Sexual Abuse in Rotherham" released Tuesday and which considered whether the Home Office properly handed material sent to it regarding Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE).
This included an assessment of a University of Luton (now Bedfordshire) research project titled "Risky Business" which ran from 2001 and 2002 and was funded by the Home Office. It was set up to identify and support girls at risk of CSE and focused on "targetting men who are believed to be responsible for pimping and grooming young people into prostitution".