The BBC has uncovered evidence of gangs in London exploiting vulnerable women and girls as young as 14 for sex and labor. According to a police officer in London, young girls and women are the "lowest rung" in gangs and are groomed and exploited "for everything".
Our investigation, based on interviews with dozens of people in the capital, including five survivors of gang-based violence, reveals a complex picture in London, with gangs from a range of ethnic backgrounds operating widely in the capital and frequently exploiting young women. A government-commissioned report last year found that in three regions - Greater Manchester, South Yorkshire, and West Yorkshire - there was enough evidence to show "disproportionate numbers of men from Asian ethnic backgrounds amongst suspects for group-based child sexual exploitation".
However, in London, the picture is different. Det Sgt John Knox, head of the Metropolitan Police child exploitation team in the south London boroughs of Lambeth and Southwark, believes there are at least 60 children in his area who are being exploited by gangs. He said the girls are as young as 13 but "15 would be the upper limit".
Police Response
Met deputy assistant commissioner Kevin Southworth said the grooming gang issue was "very high" on the force's "threat and risk radar", and it was committed to putting as much of its resource into combatting the problem as much as possible. The Met has already announced it will be re-examining at least 1,200 cases of child sexual exploitation, following a national review into group-based child sexual exploitation.
Survivor Stories
Kelly, not her real name, said she had been groomed by three white men in the capital. She was initially forced to deal drugs but said the exploitation then got worse. "I had no money, felt neglected and saw an opportunity to feel part of something so I made some bad connections and before long I was selling drugs on the streets. But that turned into having sex to keep people on side if we owed them, or [as an enticement for them to] buy drugs off me and the gang," she said.
Investigation Underway
An independent inquiry into grooming gangs chaired by Baroness Longfield CBE is expected to begin later in the year. A Home Office spokesperson said the inquiry would have "full powers to compel evidence and hold local investigations". The spokesperson added that child sexual exploitation cases that had previously been closed were now being reviewed "so the evil perpetrators who committed these crimes - and thought they got away with it - will have nowhere to hide".
