{"id":3335,"date":"2026-05-24T15:14:14","date_gmt":"2026-05-24T15:14:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/i-was-groomed-at-15-we-must-stop-at-nothing-to-protect-children-from-these-horrors\/"},"modified":"2026-05-24T15:14:14","modified_gmt":"2026-05-24T15:14:14","slug":"i-was-groomed-at-15-we-must-stop-at-nothing-to-protect-children-from-these-horrors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/i-was-groomed-at-15-we-must-stop-at-nothing-to-protect-children-from-these-horrors\/","title":{"rendered":"&#8216;I was groomed at 15 &#8211; we must stop at nothing to protect children from these horrors&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"article-body\">\n<h2 class=\"LeadText_lead-text__wd_PA __className_1c1e1b\" data-testid=\"leadtext\">Safeguarding Minister Natalie Fleet says victims and survivors of abuse have been denied justice for too long while vile perpetrators thought they were untouchable<\/h2>\n<div class=\"Byline_byline-container__K_Owl\" data-testid=\"byline\"><span class=\"Byline_byline-content-wrapper__Imque\" data-testid=\"byline-content\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"Byline_author-badge-date-wrapper__Q7jj1\">\n<div class=\"Byline_author-and-badge-wrapper__2dsv1\">\n<p><span><strong class=\"Strong_strong__e2x35 __className_1c1e1b\">Natalie Fleet, Minister for Safeguarding and Violence Against Women and Girls<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><span class=\"\" data-testid=\"byline-publishedDate\"><\/span><span class=\"ArticleTimestamp_updated-date__7qD4Q ArticleTimestamp_updated-date-with-published__iFKpF\" data-testid=\"byline-updatedDate\">Updated <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/div>\n<p><button type=\"button\" class=\"SlideViewerButton_slide-viewer-button__BDJoG\" aria-label=\"Open image viewer\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-controls=\"image-lightbox\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-embed__0T8WX ImageEmbed_image-lead__Ti3qQ\" data-testid=\"leadimage\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"37199437\">\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-container__2AIQm\">\n<figure class=\"Figure_figure__Uce4f\" style=\"--figure-aspect-ratio:1.5\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Minister Natalie Fleet has spoken about her own experience being groomed as a teenager\" loading=\"eager\"  src=\"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1_Natalie-Fleet-GB-News-interview.jpg\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"ImageCaption_caption__j7HRu\" data-testid=\"image-caption\">\n<p aria-label=\"Minister Natalie Fleet has spoken about her own experience being groomed as a teenager\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\">Minister Natalie Fleet has spoken about her own experience being groomed as a teenager<cite aria-label=\"Image: PA\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-credit__wlx1W\" data-testid=\"caption-credit\">(Image: PA)<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<p><\/button><\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh  undefined\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Every day across the UK, children face the devastating reality of sexual abuse and exploitation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh  undefined\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">The scale is shocking. The Centre for Expertise on Child Sexual Abuse estimates that around half a million children are sexually abused every year.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh  undefined\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">It can happen at home, in institutions and in our communities. Abusers can be behind a computer screen, or in vile networks that groom and exploit children over time, often in plain sight.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh  undefined\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">For years, vulnerable girls were groomed, drugged, beaten, raped and passed around by gangs of men. Too often, they were not believed. In towns like Rotherham, Oldham and Rochdale, they were failed. By adults. By agencies. By police. By systems that should have protected them.<\/p>\n<p><span data-testid=\"readmore\" class=\"ReadMore_readmore-prefix__xS44r __className_9d2dcd\">READ MORE<!-- -->: <span class=\"ReadMore_readmore-link__eF9pN\"><a target=\"_blank\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" data-tmdatatrack=\"read-more\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"37199226\" data-tmdatatrack-source=\"editorial\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/news\/politics\/vile-predators-targeting-children-warned-37199226\" tabindex=\"0\">Grooming<\/a><\/span><\/span><span data-testid=\"readmore\" class=\"ReadMore_readmore-prefix__xS44r __className_9d2dcd\">READ MORE<!-- -->: <span class=\"ReadMore_readmore-link__eF9pN\"><a target=\"_blank\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" data-tmdatatrack=\"read-more\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"37178071\" data-tmdatatrack-source=\"editorial\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/news\/politics\/grooming-gangs-police-shabana-mahmood-37178071\" tabindex=\"0\">Shabana Mahmood unveils \u00a3100m to tackle &#8216;monster&#8217; grooming gangs &#8216;We will track down these vile rapists&#8217;<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh  undefined\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">That is a stain on our country. The truth can be hard to read. It\u2019s even harder to live. Child sexual abuse and exploitation can scar people for life.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh  undefined\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">I know, because when I was just 15, I was groomed and impregnated by an older man. For years, I carried shame. People called me horrible names. Said I had asked for it. They didn\u2019t believe me because of who I was and where I came from.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh  undefined\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">When I say victims and survivors must be heard and protected, I mean it. When I say their abusers and rapists must face justice, I mean it.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh  undefined\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">We must stop at nothing to protect children from these horrors. And we must deliver justice for victims and survivors who have been denied it for too long.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh  undefined\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">That is why this government is going further than ever before to protect children, hunt down offenders and put them behind bars, where they belong.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh  undefined\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">We are investing \u00a3100million to crack down on child sexual abuse and exploitation \u2013 the highest level of funding in UK history.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh  undefined\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">The biggest share of that \u2013 \u00a338million \u2013 is for Operation Beaconport, the national police operation to look into closed grooming gangs and other group-based cases.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh  undefined\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">It means hundreds of cases dating back to 2010 and marked \u201cNo Further Action\u201d\u2014three devastating words for victims and survivors\u2014can be looked at again. It means missed leads, evidence and testimony can be picked up. And it means predators who thought they were untouchable can be caught and face justice.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh  undefined\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">But this is not only about the past. Just on Friday, police charged seven men with 40 shocking offences in Norwich. This follows a complex and sensitive investigation into group-based child sexual exploitation by the police, and officers have our full support as that continues.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh  undefined\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">And grooming gang criminality is just one type of abuse. Girls and boys are at risk from predators who lurk online, in schools, at sports clubs, and in their own homes and families. We will root them out wherever they hide.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh  undefined\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Part of this funding is for the Undercover Child Abuse Online Network, to track sick criminals in the darkest corners of the internet. In just one year, it has protected nearly 1,800 children and made nearly 1,800 arrests.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh  undefined\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">We are also giving forces access to advanced AI tools to help them sift huge amounts of evidence and data in seconds. That is what meaningful action looks like.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh  undefined\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">It also means getting survivors help and support to start healing. We are spending an extra \u00a350million to expand the Child House model across England &#8211; innovative, caring centres that provide sexually abused children with support they need, under one safe roof.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh  undefined\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Alongside all this, the Independent Inquiry into Grooming Gangs has begun its work examining past failures and holding those responsible to account\u2014backed by \u00a365million.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh  undefined\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Nothing can undo the horrors that survivors have had to live through. Nothing can give them back their stolen childhoods. But we can do everything in our power to stop it from happening again.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh  undefined\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">We are listening to victims and survivors and putting them at the very heart of our response. We owe them the truth. We owe them justice. Above all, we owe today\u2019s children safety.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh  undefined\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">That is why this money matters. It says to survivors: you were right to speak up. It says to the police: we are backing you. And it says to every disgusting predator out there: we are coming for you.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/news\/politics\/grooming-gangs-labour-natalie-fleet-37198487\" target=\"_blank\">Source link<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Safeguarding Minister Natalie Fleet says victims and survivors of abuse have been denied justice for<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3336,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3335","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-crime"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1779635654_1_Natalie-Fleet-GB-News-interview.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3335","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3335"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3335\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3336"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3335"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3335"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3335"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}