REACTIONS to the decision by Skipton-born Ruzwana Bashir to speak out about the sexual abuse of herself and others in the town have been "overwhelmingly positive", she says.

But she believes there is still "a huge challenge ahead" throughout the country to create an environment in which victims of abuse can come forward with confidence.

Ruzwana, 31, who runs her own online travel company in the US, last week outlined how a "wall of silence" in her own Skipton community stopped her testifying against her abuser for over a decade. She decided to share her story in the wake of revelations of sustained sexual abuse of an estimated 1,400 girls in Rotherham.

Speaking in an interview with the Craven Herald, the former Skipton Girls' High School pupil and Oxford University graduate, said: "There is a great deal to be done after Rotherham, both within communities and at a national policy level, but nothing has been done yet.

"It's vital that there is someone within each community who takes overall responsibility for dealing with abuse of children. In the past there seems to have been too many unwilling to respond to claims of abuse, whether in the police, local government, health professionals or whatever, because they perhaps felt that ultimately it wasn't their problem or they didn't know who to go to.

"In my view, reporting of suspicions that a child is being abused must be made mandatory."

Ruzwana added that police should be better trained both to spot and to deal with signs of sexual abuse. "As it happens, I think Skipton police have done a better job of this that they seem to have done in other parts of the country . But in British-Pakistani and other communities it's important to speak to the women and girls of that community, not just the male leaders. Every community has a responsibility to take rumours of sexual abuse seriously. In the end it's about protecting our children."

She also said that when the abused came forward it was important to speed up the judicial process, as there could be huge pressure put upon young victims while waiting for a trial to start.