Grooming gang victim’s story ‘fair’ in Senedd

A victim of grooming gangs has called for an inquiry into the scale of the problem in Wales.

The woman, who goes by the pseudonym of Emily Vaughan, also alleged Elin Jones, Presiding Officer of the Senedd His experience in the Senedd was described as “downplaying” during a clash with Conservative group leader Darren Miller earlier this week.

Jones said she was “seeking to protect victims of abuse”.

The Welsh Government stated that there is “no current widespread problem with grooming gangs” in Wales.

Warning: This story contains details of sexual abuse

Ms Vaughan, now 30, said she was first groomed at the age of 11 and then abused from the age of 14.

She said she was trafficked and repeatedly raped within Telford, Blackpool and Wales.

“This happened almost every day,” she said. bbc politics wales,

“With sexual abuse, people think you’re taken to some place and you’re raped once. That’s not the case.

“People think sexual abuse is just rape. It’s not. You’re being tortured, you’re being bitten, you’re being beaten.”

The issue of grooming gangs has been in the headlines since the beginning of the year. Comments from tech billionaire Elon Musk There were renewed calls from Conservative and some Labor MPs for a UK-wide public inquiry into the matter.

Supporting the call, Ms Vaughan said: “Criminals are very advanced – they are smarter than the police. They are smarter than people think, and things are changing all the time.

“The public needs to be aware of this. The public needs to be involved.”

Asked whether there should be a Wales-specific public inquiry into the issue, he said: “I think this is something that has been needed for a long time.

“There’s a lot of things in Wales that people don’t know about. I think there’s a lot in Wales that needs to come to the fore.”

The issue of grooming gangs was raised by Conservative group leader Darren Miller in the Senedd on Tuesday.

During his questions to the First Minister, Miller mentioned Ms Vaughan’s story, leading to a heated exchange with the Senedd’s presiding officer, Elin Jones.

She accused them of being “overly descriptive” and “not being completely respectful towards the victim”.

“The use of language in this space should ensure that you are avoiding offending or inciting any form of discrimination,” he said.

Darren Miller insisted that he was “not trying to instigate anything” but was “trying to hold the Welsh Government to account”.

Ms Vaughan said: “It was quite difficult to watch. It felt as if she was downplaying my experience and the experience of other victims as well.”

“He obviously thought I wouldn’t want him to say something like that, but he was saying the right things because it needs to be talked about.”

In a statement, Jones said that “by calling on members to refrain from using inflammatory and harassing language, I was seeking to protect victims of abuse”.

She said, “I understand now that Emily Vaughn has spoken publicly about her experience. I didn’t know enough about it at the time.”

“I applaud Emily Vaughn’s courage in speaking out, and support her and other women and girls in their pursuit of justice.”

Now the Home Secretary Review called to embellish gang evidenceAlso five local inquiries – in oldham And four more areas are yet to be announced.

The decision was welcomed by the Welsh Government and said it would “continue to do everything possible to keep young people in Wales safe from the terrible crimes of exploitation and sexual abuse”.

A spokesman said the government had “received assurances from all Welsh police forces that there is no current widespread problem with grooming gangs”.

On Friday, Rocio Cifuentes, Children’s Commissioner for Wales, said the Welsh Government had been “very slow” to implement the recommendations made in it. Final report of the independent investigation into child sexual abuse Published in 2022.

If you have been affected by the issues in this story, help and support is available bbc action line,

• politics wales Sunday 19 January at 10:00 GMT on BBC1 Wales and iPlayer