Young girls across Britain are being groomed, trafficked and sexually exploited by drug gangs

[IwantToRetire]

The authorities have been warned repeatedly, yet the same failures continue. Through the testimony of survivors, whistleblowers and those who raised the alarm, this film investigates why this exploitation has been allowed to continue for over two decades.

Britains' Forgotten Girls - BBC 2 tonight 9pm or on iPlayer
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0031c4c

And later tonght investigation about where the money given to Tommy Robinson has gone. Including money meant for girls who were victims of grooming gangs C4 10pm https://www.channel4.com/programmes/tommy-robinson-wheres-the-money-gone

One of those women, Kate, not her real name, is a survivor of Telford’s grooming gangs and was interviewed for the Channel 4 documentary.
When asked if she had received any money from Robinson’s fundraiser, she told the programme: “No. I’ve not heard anything. I’ve not heard of that at all. So if it’s going to Telford grooming gang survivors, I don’t know about it… I’m shocked by that… He’s using me, basically.
“I am very angry because I’m sat here literally struggling… while other people profit from my pain and suffering.”
Kate, who suffers from PTSD, claimed Robinson had coaxed her into taking part in a documentary film for him for £500 on the promise that her identity would be concealed. However, when Robinson’s documentary aired, he included her real name.
He also included a recording of a phone call she had with the influencer where she discussed taking her own life. Kate stated she was unaware the call was being recorded.
https://inews.co.uk/news/how-tommy-robinson-really-makes-his-money-4755860?srsltid=AfmBOortRl5-lHh8muWXsXdAtERL5ONQDMucF7F_JyNvkv3pV9KHUx2x

Did any watch. I could bring myself to.

https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2026/sep/09/britains-forgotten-girls-review-bbc-grooming-gangs-documentary

I watched it. They were so articulate and brave, and were let down so badly. Even when the authorities were after one of the abusers, it was because off the drugs not his treatment of the girl.

I have the Forgotten Girls one recorded to watch.

I've just watched the Tommy Robinson one, and IIRC it's actually even worse than that summary suggests.

Not only did Kate not know her call was being recorded and Robinson's pal filming it, but she says she explicitly refused Robinson permission to use a recording of her in his film. He just ignored her and went ahead and did what he wanted.

I've been waiting till I felt strong enough to watch Forgotten Girls.

I didn't think I'd need that to watch Tommy Robinson: Where's the money? I thought that would be dry financial investigations.

No.

I'm actually still sitting here this morning trying to get my head round what he did to that survivor.

It's from about 00:27 in the C4 documentary.

After two of the men who raped her were convicted, Kate moved to London to start a new life where people didn't know her and she felt safe. Robinson turned up at her door out of the blue, with another man, telling her they wanted to speak to her for their film. Robinson gave Kate to understand that he'd tracked her down through a police database, and that the guy he was with was some sort of hacker or ex-special forces or ex-MI5.

That's what triggered her suicide attempt.

Kate said she was sitting there having made the preparations for suicide when Robinson phoned. She felt she had nothing left to lose in her life so she took the call.

That's the moment Robinson recorded, showed in his film against her explicit wishes, including her name, and put up on a big screen in her home town.

She said, "It's probably one of the most despicable things that anybody could do to somebody at their worst moment."

I thought MN would be alight with threads about this today.

I don't often write out posts on FWR, because usually everyone else has said what I want to and I just go through Thanking and Agreeing.

But this is the only thread I could find. Thank you for this one, @IwantToRetire

(And sorry, I see the time was later than I realised: well past "this morning" when I first posted.)

A harrowing watch. Like PP I was expecting to see more posts on here. I suspect I know why there aren't any more.

Robinson is a scumbag, but the reason I’m not commenting is that it’s clear that “Kate” has at least in part misrepresented her conversation with him, and I don’t agree with him doing it, but he films and records absolutely everything, and he can prove that she has. She’s clearly a very vulnerable woman, and I feel for her and she probably wasn’t best served by getting involved with Robinson. I don’t like disinformation wherever it comes from. So I don’t trust either source to tell the truth. Everyone lies, that’s just the political landscape now. I don’t trust C4 any more than Robinson. They care as much about the organised, culturally inconvenient rape of working class girls as the far right do, IMO. I think a lot of people on MN are quite naive. Hey ho.

And trying to purity spiral FWR about it, have a word with yourselves. People are lied to from all sides. They don’t know what’s true and what’s lies. These young women are ALWAYS pawns in someone else’s agenda. Left or right.

I still haven't watched either, and am sad that both seem to be yet more evidence that in every situation women, young girls, are exploited.

Thanks to those who have commented so far.

Apart from the link I posted upthread I dont think I have seen any media coverage.

Almost suggests it is now such a "normal" story that young women are being exploited that it is new enough for it to make the "news".

Correction

Almost suggests it is now such a "normal" story that young women are being exploited that it is new enough for it to make the "news".

Almost suggests it is now such a "normal" story that young women are being exploited that it is not new enough for it to make the "news".

What a bizarre comment.

I think it says more about your attitudes and apparent contempt for those who comment of FWR.

And whatever the circumstances to try and say exploiting a young women you acknowledge is vulnerable is okay because everyone is exploiting everyone is gross.

Very sisterly.

Horrible, especially the police attitude to these girls. Though not a surprise.

I'm reminded of Boris Johnson's comment that prosecuting past CSA offences was "spaffing money up the wall" . That should've seen him kicked out much sooner. He knew about cases like this, and didn't give a damn.

Social attitudes to exploited women and girls aren't changing fast enough. Public servant training, and PSE teaching, badly needs to address this. It hurts me that there is still so little funding for CAMHS and other support services too.

I've been aware of the sexual exploitation within gangs for years, from news stories here and there, so clearly there has been some reporting – but I agree the abuse may be so prevalent for each case not to be seen as "new news".

I also agree with @TransParentlyAnnoyed. Social attitudes to exploited women and girls have changed since my young days, but they haven't changed enough.

Why do you think that is? I am afraid I am not brave enough to watch it at the moment. Maybe others feel the same.

The Disney idea of being swept off your feet by a “boyfriend” gave these scumbags the “in” they needed with these young girls.

My take away was if I was parenting a girl aged 12 plus now I would sit her down to watch that program and to ensure she was extremely cynical and knowledgeable about men and boys. I would emphasise she was to come to me if she had the slightest concern about a boy. Sorry boy mums but needs must.

Not quite the same as the gangs
Drug using males(heroin ,crack,valium )etc exploit female partners,prostitution,taking money ,taking the lions share of a score.
Remember a couple arguing early morning city centre he was scoffing all the valium and she was screaming crying for her bit.
He said here's your 3.
It's been happening for decades.

I would suggest that if there was a cross-dressing man involved then it would have 40 pages now. It's becoming increasingly clear that this particular corner of the internet is only concerned with one aspect of women's rights. Single sex spaces only when it means trans people are negatively affected. But I would also guess that it's just a very vocal minority dominating threads and conversations to give that impression. (cue pile on!)

Not just that - self-defence lessons. My two (m/f) have been in lessons for the last four years. We live in a nice area but there's no way I wasn't preparing both of them for everything that could happen.

Thank you for explaining.

I must say I am slightly taken aback at the minimising of Robinson's exploitation of "Kate".

There are many threads about this. The difference with other topics, and it's utterly shameful this is so, is that the Government have shown time and again they will do nothing and side with the abusers. There seem to NEVER be any gains, any good news

Even when a tiny fraction of the rapists are jailed the sentences are piss poor, they're out in less. Women aren't protected from harassment once they're back out. The police don't help. We all know they'll do it again

Lowe's rape gang inquiry got hardly any press.

Survivors don't get help or support from Government it's left to organisations like the Maggie Oliver Foundation

That ridiculous document telling illegal migrant men not to rape children had the passport page of 'Janine Cooper', 16, as fair game. Produced by the government. Like a morally abhorrent evil advertisement

No-one in authority who colluded in abuse has been jailed or stripped of their job or pension.

I find the hypocrisy over Epstein so stark, it's not as if those in power here are any better.

It is difficult not to feel hopeless.

Self defence is hopeless. How can one little 13 year old girl take on numerous adult men 🙄. It’s more nuanced than that. All those girls went voluntarily initially to the gangs. As a parent you need to prevent that initial interaction. Or have your daughter being the one that “goes home”. All the girls said they went with a friend but the friend “went home” leaving her to be gang raped. You need your dd to not go in the first place or be wise enough to fucking leave.

The ones that were attacked were the ones who were vulnerable or had a fatal need to people please and get approval from the drug gangs. So lack of confidence I guess.

One of the most depressing things is that people paid for with public money are deliberately allowing this to happen, encouraging it even.

But I don't see how to make it stop because no one in power wants to, it's always another inquiry, kicking it into the long grass. Putting survivors through more trauma, doing nothing.

It is so awful and makes me ashamed to be British honestly.

Maggie Oliver has some choice words about Burnham. She is one of the few who's done so much for these girls. A warrior. Wish we could make her PM.

Agree about lack of long enough sentences or even ending up in court for rape.

As for drugs, don’t take illegal drugs and in a way create the market that leads to such gangs.

I mean they are drug dealers. They are already criminal presumably violent so it’s an easy step to abusing young women who are not worldly wise or informed enough to give them a wide berth. Hate to shatter innocence but girls need to be properly informed so they don’t fall for the lover boy crap these bastards reel them in with.

I think it has gone on for so long because people in power do not see woman and girls as fully human. The politicians trot out that they are working on reducing VAWG, but it never seems to happen. These poor girls have been let down by everyone who was supposed to protect them.