Survivors of grooming gangs in Wales feel “overlooked and ignored” as the long-awaited national inquiry focuses its local investigations on English areas, according to Welsh Conservative leader Darren Millar. He has called for urgent action to ensure Welsh victims are heard.
Welsh Tory Leader Presses for Inclusion
Millar pressed for the Welsh Government to commission its own inquiry if the one chaired by Baroness Anne Longfield treats Wales as an “afterthought”. He said he spoke to one survivor who described “how she was groomed, trafficked and raped more than 1,000 times”.
“She has shown extraordinary courage in sharing her experience. Wales owes it to her, and to every other victim, to ensure the truth is fully uncovered,” Millar stated.
Criticism of Plaid Cymru and Labour
Millar accused Plaid Cymru and Labour, its predecessor in power in the Welsh Government, of refusing to “back the comprehensive investigation that victims deserve”. He noted that child sexual exploitation has been documented in Wales thanks to brave survivors coming forward.
The Senedd member expressed disappointment that the areas chosen by the Statutory Independent Inquiry into Grooming Gangs for local investigations are all in England – Bradford and Keighley, London and Oldham. “Not one of the local investigations announced by the inquiry to date is located here in Wales. And that decision is leaving survivors here feeling overlooked and ignored, and struggling to understand why they will need to wait longer for answers,” he said.
Demand for Welsh Inquiry
Millar insisted that abuses on the Welsh side of the border must not be ignored. “Grooming gangs have operated in Wales, in cities, in towns, and in rural areas. There are victims, perpetrators, and those who could have done more to protect people. Serious questions need answering. People need to be held to account. And victims deserve justice.”
He wants the Welsh Government to press for “Wales to be fully incorporated” into the national inquiry. Should that fail, he urged the Welsh Government to use its powers to establish its own inquiry into the role of public authorities and agencies, including schools, the NHS, and social services. “Such an inquiry should examine whether schools, the NHS and, above all, social services responded appropriately when children were at risk. It should establish whether warning signs were missed, whether agencies worked together effectively and whether vulnerable young people received the protection they deserved,” Millar said.
Political Sensitivities Must Not Hinder Justice
Millar argued that fear of causing offence must not deter investigations. “Some argue that politicians have been reluctant to confront aspects of these crimes because many offenders in some cases elsewhere in Britain have come from particular ethnic backgrounds. We must never stereotype entire communities, and the overwhelming majority of people of all backgrounds are appalled by these crimes. But protecting children must always come before political sensitivities. Fear of causing offence can never become an excuse for failing to investigate serious crime wherever it exists. If Wales continues to be relegated to an afterthought in the national inquiry, Wales must hold its own.”
Responses from Women's Aid and the Inquiry
A spokesperson for Welsh Women’s Aid said: “Whilst the first set of local investigations are all in England, the [inquiry] is yet to announce further locations. We hope that survivors in Wales will have the chance to feed into these future local inquiries and have their stories heard.”
A spokesperson for the inquiry said further local investigations “will be announced in the coming weeks and months as the inquiry progresses”, adding: “This is a national inquiry and evidence from across England and Wales will inform its findings and recommendations. Victims and survivors can share their experiences with the inquiry regardless of where they live.”
A Welsh Government spokesperson said: “We are committed to strengthening safeguarding arrangements and protecting children and young people in Wales from the horrific crimes of exploitation and sexual abuse. We have been engaging fully with the independent inquiry and ensuring the Welsh context is properly reflected, with survivors at the heart of the process.”
