This week, it was revealed that up to 98 child sexual exploitation investigations are currently under way in Birmingham, with six believed to involve groups of offenders. More than 140 children are known to be at risk of, or experiencing, child sexual exploitation in the city.

Alongside those figures came the announcement that the national inquiry into grooming gangs will expand its work to include Birmingham and Wales.

For many people reading this, those numbers will be shocking. For survivors of abuse and those who support them, they will be painfully familiar.

One of the most damaging misconceptions about child sexual exploitation is that it is a problem that happened somewhere else, years ago, to other people. The reality is very different. Child sexual exploitation is not confined to one town, one city, one community or one region of the country. It has happened across England and Wales for decades and, sadly, it continues to happen today.

For too long, public discussion about grooming gangs has centred on a handful of towns in the north of England. Those cases rightly exposed serious failings by agencies that should have protected children. But they also created an illusion that organised child sexual exploitation was somehow unique to those areas. It never was.

An inquiry cannot change what happened to survivors. It cannot give people back the childhoods, opportunities or sense of safety that were taken from them. But it can uncover the truth and offer some accountability. It can also acknowledge what went wrong, make it harder for those mistakes to be repeated and hopefully protect future generations of children.

The comments made this week by Jess Phillips are particularly striking. She questioned whether the number of current investigations truly reflects the scale of the problem and suggested the figure could be an underestimate. That concern will resonate with many survivors. We know from previous investigations around the country that cases often remain hidden for years. Victims may not feel able to disclose abuse until adulthood. Some may never report what happened at all.

As solicitors acting for survivors, we regularly see the difference that acknowledgement and accountability can make. Many of our clients tell us that what they want most is not compensation. They want answers. They want the truth to be recognised. They want assurance that other children will not have to endure what they experienced.

The expansion of the inquiry is an opportunity to provide some of those answers.

At Switalskis, our Abuse Team represents survivors from across England and Wales. We work with individuals seeking answers, accountability and access to justice following abuse by individuals, institutions and organised groups.

Find out how Switalskis can help you

Every survivor of abuse deserves justice. That means holding perpetrators fully accountable, and it also means ensuring survivors are supported to reclaim their voice, rebuild their sense of control, and pursue the compensation they are entitled to for the harm they have suffered.

At Switalskis, our specialist abuse lawyers have decades of experience in representing survivors of child sexual exploitation. We understand that such cases are very emotional for clients and often legally complex, therefore we are dedicated to providing a supportive and professional environment in which our clients can feel confident in our services. We are committed to ensuring our clients receive the compensation they deserve.

If you have been impacted and would like to discuss your experience in confidence, our specialist abuse team can help. Call 0800 1380 458  or email help@switalskis.com.