The recent reporting into child sexual exploitation in Wales makes for difficult reading.

Four men and a woman who formed a grooming gang in Rhyl, North Wales, were jailed more more than 40 after targeting three vulnerable girls aged 14, 15 and 16 between 2022 and 2024. The gang were jailed for a combined total of more than 80 years after being convicted of more than 40 offences against three girls. The offenders, Mustafa Iqbal, Mohamed Usman Arshad, Ziaullah Badshah, Jaswinder Singh and Sarah Gray, subjected the victims to rape, sexual exploitation, trafficking, drug-related offending and modern slavery offences. The case, described as one of the most complex child sexual exploitation investigations undertaken by North Wales Police, exposed the organised grooming and abuse of vulnerable girls in Wales.

The experiences described by survivors are sadly familiar. Allegations of children being groomed and sexually exploited. Concerns being raised. Opportunities to intervene being missed. Years later, survivors still searching for answers about why nobody stepped in to protect them.

The convictions have prompted renewed calls for Wales to play a central role in the national grooming gangs inquiry and for the experiences of Welsh survivors to receive the same scrutiny as cases elsewhere in the UK. To date, many survivors of abuse in Wales feel their voices have been absent from the national conversation.

Child sexual exploitation is not an issue confined to a handful of towns that have dominated headlines over the years. It is not an "English problem". It is not limited to one region, one community or one type of victim. It is a national issue that has affected children across England and Wales for decades.

The public conversation around grooming gangs often centres on places such as Rotherham, Rochdale, Oxford and Telford. Those cases exposed appalling failings and deserve every bit of scrutiny they have received. However, there is a real risk that the experiences of survivors elsewhere become lost in the background.

That cannot happen with this Inquiry.

It is not enough simply to say that Wales falls within the terms of reference. There must be a genuine commitment to examining what happened in Welsh communities, understanding whether opportunities to protect children were missed and ensuring that survivors from Wales have a meaningful voice throughout the process.

At Switalskis, we support survivors from right across England and Wales. We represent individuals who were abused in cities, towns and rural communities. Their backgrounds are different. Their stories are different but there is often one common theme, those who should have protected them did not.

Time and again, survivors tell us that concerns were reported but not acted upon. Warning signs were missed. Children were labelled as troublesome rather than vulnerable. Opportunities to intervene were lost.

At Switalskis we are already supporting survivors from Wales who are participating in the Inquiry, and we know how important this process is to them. Many have waited years to see these issues examined properly. Many are hopeful that lessons will finally be learned.

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.