Early Abuse and Exploitation
Penny was just 12 years old when she was groomed by multiple men of Pakistani heritage.
She recounted to the BBC how the men initially gained her trust by giving her expensive gifts. However, within weeks, the situation escalated to violence and abuse.
"I was covered in very deep cigarette burns, which actually burned through my skin into my flesh. By the time I was 13 and a half, I weighed six stone. I was abused every day," Penny, a pseudonym, said.
She described how she and other girls were sold for sex to men traveling from across the country, taken to various houses and locations to meet strangers. Drugs and alcohol were administered to the victims to keep them disoriented and unaware of time.
'Never Been Brought to Justice'
Although some of Penny's abusers were convicted of rape and trafficking, she stated that "hundreds of men" who abused her remain free.
"There are lots and lots of men who were involved with us who have never been brought to justice. I imagine that if they had those sexual tendencies then, they'll still have those tendencies now and they'll find a way to fulfil those tendencies," she said.
Penny's testimony coincides with the publication of the terms of reference for the statutory independent inquiry into grooming gangs.
The inquiry will investigate the extent of abuse of young girls sexually exploited by predominantly male groups in England and Wales. Its scope includes:
'Uncomfortable Truths'
The inquiry will examine cases spanning the past 30 years to identify patterns of abuse.
It commits to thoroughly investigating all contributing factors to the abuse and exploitation of victims, including culture, ethnicity, and religion, and promises to hold accountable those responsible.
Local investigations will also be conducted, with Oldham confirmed as one of the initial areas. A framework for selecting additional areas will be published within three months.
Baroness Longfield, chair of the Statutory Independent Inquiry into Grooming Gangs, stated:
"Children across England and Wales were and are sexually abused and exploited. When they asked for help, they were too often disbelieved, dismissed, or blamed. That is the reality this inquiry exists to address.
Victims and survivors have every right to ask whether this inquiry will be any different from those that came before. My answer is this: where we can, we will publish our findings as we go, not in a single report years from now. There will be no opportunity for institutions to quietly manage what we find.
We will follow the evidence wherever it leads. We will not flinch from uncomfortable truths."
The inquiry will formally commence after the terms of reference are presented to Parliament on 13 April. It has a budget of £65 million.
The goal is to complete the investigation by March 2029, with regular updates provided throughout.
Despite this, Penny and many other survivors remain skeptical, fearing a lack of accountability for those who failed to protect children like her.
'Mass' Sexual Grooming
"I want there to be accountability for the failings that led to this mass grooming and exploitation of children up and down the country," Penny said. "They were systematically allowing this to happen for reasons that haven't ever really been properly explored."
She also hopes the inquiry will uncover what she believes to be the truth—that sexual grooming is widespread and has been ongoing for a long time.
"I think we need to understand that these things are very real and they are happening, and that this inquiry needs to do absolutely everything it can to make sure that it doesn't go on, it cannot go on."
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood commented:
"The grooming gangs' scandal is one of the darkest moments in our country's history – where the most vulnerable people were abused and exploited at the hands of evil child rapists.
The independent national inquiry will now begin its crucial work to uncover how these crimes were allowed to happen and root out failure wherever it occurred.
The chair and I have agreed that the inquiry will be laser-focused on grooming gangs and will explicitly examine the role of ethnicity, religion and culture of the offenders and in the response of institutions.
There will be no hiding place for the predatory monsters who committed these vile crimes."
Inquiry Background and Challenges
The inquiry was established following recommendations by Baroness Casey in her national audit on group-based child sexual exploitation and abuse published in June 2025.
It holds full powers to compel witnesses within the jurisdiction to provide evidence and to require organizations to submit documents.
In October of the previous year, the inquiry faced setbacks when two leading candidates for chair withdrew.
This occurred shortly after four members of the inquiry's survivors panel resigned and called for Safeguarding Minister Jess Phillips to step down, accusing her of "betrayal" for denying claims that the investigation might be expanded.
Another five abuse survivors on the panel wrote to the prime minister stating they would only continue cooperating with the inquiry if Phillips remained in her position.
Sir Keir Starmer supported Phillips, and Baroness Longfield was appointed as the new chair in December.
