On 17 July David Greenwood and I attended a screening at the House of Lords alongside Channel 4, Candour Productions, Maggie Oliver and Erin, Jade and Chantelle who featured in Groomed: A National Scandal. Jess Phillips, Minister for Safeguarding, and other MPs were also in attendance.

The screening was hosted by Baroness Hazarika and included a raw and uncomfortable conversation about child sexual exploitation. Lots of issues were discussed and this article is written to try and summarise some of, what I think, were the key points from the conversation.

• Child sexual abuse is not for scoring political points. Everyone around the table expressed disappointment with how the issue of child sexual exploitation had been dealt with to date, often used to throw mud at the opposite party. We all felt that the issue of child abuse ought to be a topic that all parties should want to work collaboratively on. We invited MPs to look at ways in which they can work together moving forwards.
• Using the wrong terminology can be harmful. Chantelle explained how she found it so upsetting when MPs used inappropriate and sloppy language. She explained that she, and many other survivors, would watch debates and when terminology such as ‘dog whistle’ is used it causes real upset to those who have suffered. She also expressed how the term ‘grooming gangs’ ought to be binned and replaced by ‘child rape gangs’, as this wording better reflects the true picture.
• The damage is long lasting. The women explained how their lives had taken a different shape following the abuse. They had been often been forced into addiction as they were plied with drugs, had significant mental health issues and their education (and therefore employment) had been hampered. Their interpersonal relationships were impacted and it takes many years to understand what a healthy relationship looks like after experiencing abuse. Many women hold convictions related to the abuse that they suffered. For example, at age 16, Jade was convicted for inciting sexual abuse with a minor as she took a friend along with her yet weeks before, at age 15, she had been labelled a victim. Many women have had their children removed from them due to the abuse they suffered. Many have lost their lives. It is also not just the women who suffered abuse that are impacted but their families and friends who have had to helplessly watch how the abuse has impacted their lives and try to help them pick up the pieces.
• Criminal investigations are retraumatising. The women talked about how their lives had been turned upside down by the criminal investigations. That although they desperately seek justice, having to relive the trauma in their adult lives causes their mental health to deteriorate. They feel as though they are on trial. They are often discouraged from seeking therapeutic support throughout the police investigation for fear that it could prejudice the criminal trial and the investigation can often span many years. For example, Erin had to go through three trials over a seven year period and yet only seven of her abusers were convicted. Chantelle and Jade have not yet seen justice for the abuse that they endured. The women talked about the impact that the police investigations have had upon their families and how they have no faith in the system, and in particular the police force, that failed them as children. All agreed that it should not be the same police force investigating the historic offences as there is a lack trust that they will do a thorough job now.
• There is not enough support for survivors. The women talked about how they had been seeking support and offered six sessions of counselling through the NHS. It was agreed that specialist support ought to be provided for survivors of CSE and that, for those women who have been involved in criminal investigations, the support that they are offered through the Independent Sexual Violence Advocates should continue for longer as, at present, that support begins to wind down when the criminal investigation/trial ends. Survivors are then left having been retraumatised and their mental health continues to deteriorate.
• Children need to be taught about consent and healthy relationships. At present, this is not part of the school syllabus, and it ought to be. Prevention is better than a cure and teaching children how to look after themselves and others is a crucial part of this. Specialists would be best placed to deliver this.

During the discussion, we also talked about the need for harsher sentences for child abusers, how police forces should not be allowed to investigate offences by their own officers and how the recommendations of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (‘IICSA’) need to be implemented alongside the recommendations within the Baroness Casey report . In particular, we encouraged the implementation of a Child Protection Agency (‘CPA’) as soon as possible, as the creation of a CPA would be able to assist with progressing all of the other recommendations and would therefore be best placed to protect present and future generations of children.

The Minister for Safeguarding, Jess Phillips, confirmed that all of the recommendations (both from the IICSA and the Baroness Casey reports) are being implemented ‘down to the letter’, but it would take a collective effort and time.

We are grateful to all of those involved in making this discussion happen and we hope that the conversation continues.