Letters, contributions and comments sent in to the Advertiser this week.

Let IS teen back for help

Victor Rones, For Justice & Rights advocate, writes:

Shamima Begum is proof of how the deadly internet can ruin lives.

This young lady, before she was 15 years old, reached out for love, understanding and direction.

She found it by being groomed and brainwashed through the internet by terrorists. She gained courage to run away, though the police and security services failed to seek her out.

After four years and much suffering as a young girl and still suffering, with the added loss of babies, any young lady would of gone crazy.

She has matured physically but is still a child mentally with a bleak dark outlook on life.

It is bad enough that the Home Office and Foreign Office along with the home secretary of the day be judge and jury. But Ms Begum is a pawn for their own positions and gain, she is treated as their scapegoat.

I have heard people, presenters and listeners to radio stations phone in to ostracise Ms Begum.

Amnesty international and I support Ms Begum and agree she should come back to Britain for counselling, help, understanding and to receive love from her family.

The government and security services and police need to hear this young lady in person. It would be in their best interests to learn things that they do not know.

Response to Cllr Rabina Khan

Cllr Danny Hassell, cabinet member for children, schools and young people, writes:

I was disappointed to read the piece ‘Send in commissioners to force reviews into deaths of children’ not only because of the factual inaccuracies that it contained but also that Cllr Khan fails to provide any real leadership on this issue.

As councillors we are all collectively responsible for the welfare of vulnerable children. We have invested significant resources, leadership and energy into improving children’s social care since 2017.

What Cllr Khan does not tell you is that many of the features of poor practice identified in the serious case review took place under the administration she was part of. Labour has accepted that when we inherited services from her mayor we did not act quickly or decisively enough.

Rather than call for commissioners, Cllr Khan should stop playing politics with this issue and work constructively with us.