‘We were raped and exploited by a drug gang as teenagers’

Warning: Contains details of sexual exploitation

Christine is one of four women who have chosen to waive their anonymity and speak publicly to the BBC documentary, Britain’s Forgotten Girls, about how they were targeted by criminals when they were children.

Their stories differ in detail, but reveal strikingly similar patterns of abuse.

All four describe being targeted by boys and older men connected to drugs gangs, manipulated into abusive relationships, then repeatedly sexually exploited.

All believe the authorities failed to protect them and did not take their allegations seriously.

The sexual and criminal exploitation of girls by drug gangs has long been overshadowed in public discussion by the focus on sexual grooming gangs, according to front-line social workers and experts in the field.

If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this story, information and support can be found at the BBC’s Action Line.