Women detail child exploitation by London drug gangs

Four women have revealed their experiences of being targeted, groomed, and sexually exploited by individuals connected to drug gangs from childhood. Speaking to the BBC documentary 'Britain's Forgotten Girls', the survivors describe being manipulated into abusive relationships and criminal activity, with allegations that authorities failed to adequately protect them.

Patterns of Abuse

The accounts, spanning from 2002 to last year, highlight consistent patterns of exploitation. Christine, who grew up in London, was groomed by a man involved with drug gangs from the age of 13. She told the BBC that over several years, she was used to courier drugs and subjected to extreme sexual exploitation and violence. Annie, from south-east London, described being groomed and sexually exploited by older boys involved in drugs. She recounted being coerced into sex with multiple people under threat of having abusive photos shared.

Survivors consistently report that attention, affection, or perceived friendship gradually escalated into coercion and exploitation. For Christine, this involved being asked to sleep with her boyfriend's associates to 'help him out', which she stated became an expectation. Annie described being repeatedly raped and threatened with the distribution of explicit images if she did not comply with further sexual demands.

Perceived Failures by Authorities

All four women expressed a belief that authorities did not take their allegations seriously. Christine stated that when social services alerted the police to her case at age 15, investigators appeared more interested in the drug offences committed by gang members than in her reports of abuse. She told the BBC that the focus shifted to drug dealing information once she mentioned it, implying her personal suffering was secondary.

Violet, who became involved with a south London drug gang at 13, shared a similar experience of reporting abuse but feeling that the authorities' interest lay elsewhere. The BBC understands that the issue of drug gangs exploiting children will be addressed in an independent inquiry prompted by a government audit into group-based sexual abuse and exploitation.

Distinguishing Exploitation

Experts suggest that the sexual and criminal exploitation of girls by drug gangs is often overshadowed in public discourse by a greater focus on sexual grooming gangs. Connie Muttock from the children's charity Centre for Young Lives explained that while grooming gangs primarily aim for sexual exploitation, drug gangs' main purpose is financial gain. However, she noted that girls involved are frequently sexually abused by gang members as part of their operation.

The National Crime Agency suggests that girls are criminally exploited by gangs partly because they are perceived as less likely to be suspected of or stopped for drug dealing. This criminal exploitation can also be accompanied by sexual assault, with some survivors describing it as becoming 'normal' over time, leading them to believe they were wanted or part of a caring group.

A 2012 inquiry into the sexual exploitation of children in gangs identified similar patterns of abuse, but those involved at the time felt it did not generate a sufficient response. A former deputy Children's Commissioner for England, Sue Berelowitz, who led that inquiry, recalled that some individuals in senior positions found it difficult to accept the scale of the problem.

The documentary's release coincided with the conviction of nine men for grooming young girls for sex in Rochdale. However, experts like Prof Carlene Firmin of Durham University noted that headlines about sexual grooming, while a serious issue, complicated the broader discussion of exploitation by criminal gangs.