Last week, BBC Newsnight aired a special programme which looked at child sexual abuse and exploitation entitled 'A Nation's Shame: Grooming Survivors Speak'. Five women bravely spoke out, and we are very proud to represent two of those women, Zara (not her real name) and Fiona.

At the age of 12, Zara suffered abuse at the hands of a man called David Saynor, who last year was sentenced to 24 years in prison. She then went on to be groomed and exploited by another man, who is on trial later this year. BBC Newsnight was the first time that Zara has spoken about her ordeal. Zara is of mixed heritage, and she wants to educate the public on the different ways in which children can be groomed and exploited, highlighting that such abuse happens to children of all backgrounds.

Fiona was subjected to abuse in West Yorkshire by several men. In early 2025, three men were convicted of offences against Fiona. The charges related to multiple counts of rape when she was just 14 and 15 years old. She was in residential care with Bradford Council at the time she was exploited. Following a review under the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme, the Court of Appeal later increased their sentences, acknowledging that the original terms did not reflect the seriousness of the offences. Fiona waived her legal right to anonymity in 2024, determined to use her voice to highlight the scale of abuse and to encourage others who are still suffering in silence to seek justice.

The other women on the programme, Jade, Chantelle and Kate Elysia (not her real name), also suffered horrific abuse and are keen to see change.

Abuse can persist far beyond the moment it happens

During the programme, we heard survivor accounts. Their stories highlighted how abuse can persist far beyond the moment it happens. Zara shared how grooming had reshaped her life, "from age 12, I've not lived a normal life". Survivors need more than just awareness. They need practical help, legal clarity, and emotional support. The five women also talked about the barriers they had faced, system flaws and how they are passed from pillar to post with no clear coordination of their support. They also had the opportunity to discuss changes that they feel are necessary. Fiona urged for stronger access to mental health support, legal clarity, and community awareness so no survivor feels invisible or helpless.

Survivors are being criminalised

Another survivor, Jade, spoke at length about how the abuse she suffered had impacted her life. She talked about how she had been criminalised instead of her abusers, a story we hear far too often. Jade was convicted of inciting the sexual abuse of a child when she was still being abused by her perpetrators. Yet, no charges were brought against them. As a result, Jade spent time in prison and was placed on the sex offences register. She discussed how this has impacted her life, how she cannot attend her children's school trips and how it has affected her employability. Certain sectors, such as health and social care, are now unattainable due to the conviction. Jade spoke powerfully about the lingering impact of her abuse, saying, "It feels like I'm still being abused, like they're still controlling my life." due to the systemic failures. Jade is currently fighting for her conviction to be overturned. The petition can be found here .

The women are incredibly brave

Deputy Chief Constable Becky Riggs, the National Police Chiefs' Council Lead for Child Protection and Abuse Investigation, also spoke on BBC Newsnight and opened by saying that the women are "incredibly brave". She said she was "not here to defend the errors of the past" and that she "could not defend the indefensible". Deputy Chief Constable Becky Briggs also introduced new data from 2024, which indicated that group-based child sexual abuse accounts for 17% of overall child abuse. Data was also provided about the ethnicity of grooming gangs in the UK, although under a third of perpetrators had their ethnicity recorded, so the data set needs to be treated with caution. However, the data did show that there are risks posed to children from adults of all ethnicities. Deputy Chief Constable Becky Briggs also confirmed that group-based child abuse (grooming gangs) is still happening and that the crime was not a "northern crime" or a "city crime". The data set provided represents all of England and Wales.

Survivors will not give up

Following the Newsnight programme, Fiona and Kate Elysia were invited to meet Safeguarding Minister Jess Phillips. They had the opportunity to discuss what changes they wanted to see in the future. Fiona commented that "whether [the meeting] was a success or not, I don't believe any of [the survivors] will give up, and eventually, things will change, and people will listen." She also commented how survivors had to "fight to be treat like humans", adding, "I just hope that it starts changing. I don't want my kids to have to be in positions like this".

More arrests to come?

Newsnight also covered the issue the following night with a programme entitled 'Grooming Gangs: More Arrests to Come?'. During that programme, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper stated that she had watched Newsnight the previous night. Speaking about the criminalisation of children who are being abused, Yvette Cooper stated, "We have to take action on this. People have been convicted of crimes when they were exploited and were children. We want these historic cases addressed so people don't have criminal records for the rest of their lives." The Home Office has provided no further details, and we hope they will go further than just quashing prostitution convictions. We want to see all convictions gathered during exploitation being pardoned.

At Switalskis, we represent several survivors who have varying convictions relating to the abuse that they suffered. Examples include crimes that abusers forced the children into (such as inciting the sexual abuse of another child, forcing them to assault others, theft and drug-related offences), crimes relating to being drunk and disorderly (when we know that being plied with alcohol and drugs is a feature of the abuse) and assaulting police officers. There are, of course, many other crimes which are linked to the exploitation of children, so this list is not exhaustive. These crimes are often committed following threats of violence or sexual assault upon the child or their loved ones.

During the follow-up programme, it was confirmed that 287 child sexual exploitation cases need to be looked at again by police forces in the UK, where "no further action" was previously taken. These figures are based on only half of police forces' replies to the government. It is, therefore, estimated that this figure could double.

Next steps and what we would like to see

The Louise Casey "rapid audit" is due to be published in the next few weeks. The content of that report will determine what action the government takes, but what is certain is that the time for brushing this issue under the carpet has long since passed.

We know that, historically, police and councils around the country chose different ways to prevent and tackle exploitation, and that's been a failure.

Exploitation is a despicable crime, but all sexual offences against children ruin lives. Gang-based exploitation only accounts for 7% of all sex crimes against children. The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA), chaired by Prof Alexis Jay, examined the scale and institutional failures which allow child sex abuse. It made many recommendations, the most important of which is the establishment of a Child Protection Authority, which would set uniform standards and ensure all organisations responsible for child safeguarding follow best practices and improve preventative measures. Other important recommendations were the appointment of a cabinet minister for children, a public information campaign, and better use of the disclosure and barring service to prevent abusers from being employed to look after children.

At Switalskis, we hope the government will outline a clear timeframe for implementing the IICSA recommendations, particularly introducing a dedicated Child Protection Agency. We would also like to see the government revisit the report from the CSE strand of the IICSA and implement those recommendations, which would strengthen the preventative measures and responses of all councils and police forces around the country.

If there is to be a national inquiry into CSE, it cannot be allowed to slow down the implementation of Professor Jay's recommendations. Future generations of children need to see action now in order to best prevent these crimes from affecting them.

We would also like to see wraparound support for survivors. For those survivors who have been criminalised, we would like to see them pardoned. Ensuring all those affected by child abuse can have the same opportunities that life has to offer as others do.

Switalskis will continue to lobby the government, alongside other key stakeholders, and support survivors of child sexual exploitation and abuse. At Switalskis, we support #ActOnIICSA and encourage others to get involved. There is strength in numbers.

We are thankful to Victoria Derbyshire and the Newsnight team for giving these brave women a platform and ensuring that child sexual exploitation and abuse is not swept under the carpet, as it has been in the past. Both programmes aired on 2 and 3 of June, are on BBC iPlayer and can be found here .

 If you are a survivor of grooming or abuse and would like to speak to someone in confidence, our experienced legal team is here to support you.

To speak to one of our specialist child abuse solicitors about your situation in confidence, call us on 0800 1380 458, or contact us through the website.