A Wales-wide inquiry into sexual exploitation by grooming gangs must be held to get a clearer picture of the scale of this heinous crime and help prevent it in the future, Natasha Asghar MS told the Welsh Parliament this week.
The South Wales East politician has backed calls from grooming gang victim Emily Vaughn (not her real name) to commission an independent investigation in Wales.
Emily, who has bravely spoken out about the abuse she suffered, has launched a petition calling for an inquiry which has been signed by more than 1,500 people.
Natasha Asghar MS told the Senedd this week:
“First and foremost, I'd like to pay tribute to all of the victims across Wales who have spoken out and shared their stories.
“The victims sit at the heart of our motion here today. This isn't in any way, shape, or form about political point scoring; this is solely about supporting victims of these heinous crimes by getting a clearer picture of the scale of the situation and, subsequently, taking action to prevent sexual exploitation in the future.
“I believe the best way to achieve this is by commissioning a Wales-wide inquiry into sexual exploitation by grooming gangs. We all know that grooming gangs are indeed operating here in Wales, targeting children, but the full extent of the problem is still unknown.”
Natasha shared some of Emily’s harrowing story with the Welsh Parliament, including some of the evil abuse she suffered by a grooming gang in Wales.
Emily was trafficked from South Wales to Telford when she was a child and now dedicates her time working with people at risk of exploitation and trains professionals to spot potential victims of human trafficking.
Natasha told the Welsh Parliament:
“The harrowing abuse she suffered began when she was just 11 years old. It saw her groomed into becoming a drugs trafficker later on, and then, sadly, the monstrous abuse became even more severe. By the age of 20, she had been raped over 1,000 times.
“This young woman's life has been ruined by these despicable excuses for human beings, and perhaps what's more heartbreaking is that I fear that there were opportunities to prevent this abuse, but they were, indeed, missed.”
Natasha explained that on one occasion Emily called the police when she was threatened with a knife in Telford, but the operator on the other end of the phone, upon hearing she was from Wales, told Emily to contact her local force.
The South Wales East politician also highlighted the 7-year-long inquiry conducted by Professor Alexis Jay, which concluded that the nation had been scarred by an epidemic that left thousands of victims in its poisonous wake. However, the only place in Wales the inquiry looked at was Swansea.
She also pointed out that according to Stats Wales figures there were nearly 2,400 cases of child exploitation between 2022 and 2023.
Natasha concluded:
“This harrowing account highlights the need for an inquiry so that we can all do what we can to ensure that no other child endures the horrors and trauma that Emily had to go through.
“We do need to get a better understanding of the scale of this despicable crime, and we must come together and do everything we can to prevent the appalling sexual exploitation that is taking place here in Wales.
“As my colleague and Conservative MP Mims Davies said, our daughters and granddaughters need to be protected. We should stop at nothing to achieve this.”
The motion calling on the Welsh Government to commission an independent inquiry into child sexual exploitation by grooming gangs was voted down.
