Can anyone help me find an independent source on the reported grooming gangs in the UK

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Go to the local cosmetology school. I bet they have some info.

God there's a rabbit hole to go down here.

Short version is there's multiple government inquiries as well as some decent journalism on this if you stay away from anything sensationalist. Genuinely, the wikipedia pages are even-handed and factual and well-sourced (wikipedia varies but these pages are pretty carefully sorted).

The Rotherham scandal is horrific. 1,400 girls.

"Grooming gangs?" What's that? Free haircuts?

its the mainstream news that needs to be questioned not the independent sources broadcasting blacklisted factual events that mainstream covers up to suit their agendas fyi

There is an official independent enquiry taking place at the moment, so any sources you find before that reports will necessarily be partial.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/iicsa-report-of-the-independent-inquiry-into-child-sexual-abuse

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-audit-on-group-based-child-sexual-exploitation-and-abuse