Conservatives to force Senedd vote on grooming gangs probe

Emily Price 

The Conservatives are set to force a vote in the Senedd for a Wales-wide inquiry into grooming gangs next week.

It comes after a Welsh victim of child sexual exploitation and trafficking launched a Senedd petition calling on ministers in Cardiff Bay to commission a probe.

Emily Vaughn - not her real name - suffered horrific abuse after being trafficked from south Wales to Telford as a child.

She was forced to sell drugs and raped over a thousand times by groups of men.

Emily took part in the UK-wide Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, also known as the Jay Report, a decade ago.

The seven year probe found that the current system is fundamentally flawed and unable to protect vulnerable children at risk of being groomed.

The final report made 20 recommendations which the UK Conservatives were tasked with implementing - but the responsibly has since passed to the new UK Labour Government.

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Support

The Welsh Government says it has been in contact with all of Wales’ four police forces and that there are "no current widespread issues with grooming gangs in Wales."

But Emily told Nation.Cymru that she believes child sexual exploitation is still happening and that victims and survivors are not getting the support they need.

She said: "Look at the map of the UK – do politicians think that grooming gangs stop when it comes to Wales? People who exploit children don’t care about borders."

Emily's petition has gained over 1,400 signatures so far and has been backed by the Welsh Conservatives.

In the Senedd on Wednesday (February 12) the party will lead a debate for a Wales specific probe.

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Brave

Tory leader Darren Millar said: "There is clear and concerning evidence of the sexual exploitation of young girls by grooming gangs here in Wales, but what we don’t know is the full extent of the problem.

"We owe it to brave victims to leave no stone unturned in investigating this problem and bringing the evil perpetrators of such crimes to account.

"Politicians must put party politics aside, come together to support victims of abuse, and ensure that we do everything we can to prevent the appalling sexual exploitation suffered by victims across Wales.

"We know from what has already been exposed in Swansea and elsewhere in the UK, that simply accepting the assurances of the police and local councils that grooming gangs are not operating in their areas is not good enough.

"Only a Wales-wide inquiry will be able to ensure that there is sufficient attention and focus being given to this issue, and that our children can be protected from predatory behaviour.

"That’s why the Welsh Conservatives are bringing forward a Welsh Parliament debate next week, calling on the Welsh Government to commission an independent inquiry into child sexual exploitation by grooming gangs."

Reserved

The Senedd's only Liberal Democrat, Jane Dodds, previously told Nation.Cymru she would support a Wales-wide inquiry.

Plaid Cymru say they would like to see a police investigation and that if such a probe uncovered evidence of grooming gangs, the party would then support a full scale Wales-wide inquiry.

Justice is a reserved power in Wales, meaning the UK Government hold the rights to make decisions about it.

Last month, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced a £10 million plan for a "rapid" review of the current scale of exploitation across the whole of the UK.

A Welsh Government spokesperson said: "We will continue to do everything we can as a government to ensure young people in Wales are safe from the horrific crimes of exploitation and sexual abuse.

"While we have received assurances from all Welsh police forces that there are no current widespread issues with grooming gangs here, we welcome the decision by the Home Secretary to ask all police forces, including in Wales, to review historic gang exploitation cases where no further action was taken.

"We also welcome the UK Government’s announcement of a national review across the UK, led by Dame Louise Casey, and will be engaging fully with this review."

Emily's petition will continue to run until July.