'Little people can make big waves' - sex abuse survivor

Three survivors of child sexual exploitation (CSE) in Telford have said they are proud of their work with an inquiry into how organisations dealt with the issue.

The inquiry looked at whether agencies in the town, including Telford & Wrekin Council, had made appropriate improvements in how CSE is handled.

It was a follow-up to a damning 2022 report which said generations of girls were abused over decades, and children were blamed for what happened to them.

"All of the things myself and the other survivors in Telford have achieved, it's just something I never dreamed of. Even the little people can make big waves," said Holly Archer, one of the survivors.

As well as the council, the inquiry also looked at the progress made by West Mercia Police, NHS Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin, and West Mercia's Police and Crime Commissioner.

It said the agencies had either met or exceeded expectations in addressing issues raised by its chairman, Tom Crowther KC.

He described Telford as an 'admirable model' in tackling child sex abuse.

Ms Archer, alongside Scarlett Jones, and Joanne Phillips, who use pseudonyms, worked with the bodies to implement changes.

These included the establishment of a joint child sexual exploitation review group, and additional or refreshed training across schools, the council, and the local NHS.

"We can actually see that processes have changed, pathways have changed, things are easier now to get help with," Ms Jones told the BBC.

The women welcomed Home Office data showing referrals of modern slavery and trafficking cases among children had risen, from eight in 2022 to 33 in 2023.

Internal council figures showed 41 referrals had already been made in 2024.

Ms Archer said this increase was their 'biggest achievement'.

Ms Phillips added that their work helped to provide clarity on CSE.

"We explained exactly what sexual exploitation was, under the remit of modern slavery and human trafficking," she said.

The women also provided training to the organisations and educated them on the national referral mechanism, a framework for identifying and referring potential victims of modern slavery.

Outgoing leader of Telford & Wrekin Council, Shaun Davies expressed his gratitude to the women.

"They wanted to roll their sleeves up and work with the council and other agencies to make the recommendations work, and as a direct result of that our services are better," he told BBC Radio Shropshire.

Moving forward, the women want other local authorities to adopt Telford's model, and now want to take their work further.

"We'll continue working with the council and partners, we’ll always do that. The next challenge now is changing it at a national level, to make sure that children are protected," said Ms Phillips.

"In the past, I’ve said I wanted to campaign for CSE to be a chargeable offence, and I still want to do that," said Ms Archer.

"But we have to now challenge legislation and things like the definitions of what CSE is in government, before we get to that point."

"Wherever there are children, there will be perpetrators, we have to make sure we change processes as and when needed," said Ms Jones.

"It’s been hard work, it’s been tiring, draining, and yet at the same time it's been the most fulfilling part of my life.

"It's changed my life in the way that it's given me purpose."

In 2012, seven men were jailed following a police investigation called Operation Chalice, where children as young as 13 were plied with drugs and alcohol and sold for sex by men posing as so-called boyfriends.

West Mercia Police said there could have been 200 perpetrators and more than 100 girls could have been targeted between 2007 and 2009.

In 2016, Telford and Wrekin Council's children and young people scrutiny committee published a report on tackling child sexual exploitation, which said there were "far more" victims than those seeking help.

The inquiry was eventually set up after a Sunday Mirror report in 2018, collating claims of gangs abusing girls in the town since the 1980s.

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