By ANI

LONDON: A recent study has found out that Gangs of predominantly Pakistani men are sexually abusing British Sikh girls.

As reported by Daily Mail, Sikh Mediation and Rehabilitation Team charity in a report titled, " The Religiously Aggravated Sexual Exploitation of Young Sikh Women across the UK" has made the said revelation.

According to daily mail: `The research has found verification demonstration a history of predominantly Pakistani grooming gangs targeting young Sikh females for over 50 years.'

Described as an exploratory study, it looks at reported cases of abuse against Sikh girls - of Indian background - dating back to the 1970s.

In many cases, according to the report, the men would groom a girl before passing her round to other members of their family.

The girls would be snared by `fashionably dressed adult Pakistani men traveling in flamboyant vehicles in predominantly Sikh dominated areas and schools, report quoted by Daily Mail said.

Sikh community leaders say the problem started in the 1960s.

The charity asserted that its report is not a `witch-hunt against any individual, community, culture or faith' - adding that nothing would change unless awareness was spread in this regard.

Labour MP Sarah Champion demanded an investigation by saying, "I was shocked when I first heard about the organized abuse of Sikh girls by mostly Pakistani men'.

The newspapers quoted her saying, 'When I started speaking to Sikh women, I could not believe how widespread the grooming and abuse was - and that this has been going on for decades. We need to speak of the abuse of Sikh girls to take it out of the shadows and make sure the authorities take it seriously. '

The Rotherham MP added: 'There needs to be a full investigation into the systematic abuse of Sikh girls.'

'The over representation of such perpetrators in selecting non-Muslim victims would appear to be indicative of a wider acceptability in certain sections of the community towards the targeting of young females from outside of the Pakistani community or Muslim faith.