Girls as young as 14 are being raped and exploited by organized grooming gangs across London, an investigation based on survivor interviews and police data has found. Victims report being groomed to steal, sell drugs, and provide sex as payment for debts.
Kelly, who used an alias speaking to the Daily Mail, said she was first approached by three men and initially felt it gave her a sense of belonging. “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. “I didn't feel like I was groomed or exploited. I didn't think I was a victim. It's taken me a while to realise I was used and manipulated.”
Another survivor, Millie, described being passed between multiple men while under the influence of drugs and alcohol. She said her experience mirrored cases reported in northern towns. “Then I'd come out. Could be another one. After that, it could be another one. Sometimes it was only one. Sometimes it could be three,” she said.
Detective Sergeant John Knox, head of the Metropolitan Police’s Child Exploitation Team, said girls are “the lowest rung” within gangs. “Within that gang world, the girls are the lowest rung, and they have to do as they are told, and that includes sexually,” he told the BBC. Knox said at least 60 children in Southwark and Lambeth are currently being exploited, some as young as 13.
Police receive about 2,000 reports of child sexual or criminal exploitation annually, covering cases of either form or both. Following a national review, more than 1,200 cases are being reviewed, with new teams and specialist training aimed at earlier intervention.
Ruth, another survivor, said her abusers targeted her for sex while giving her expensive items. “It felt like I had multiple boyfriends giving me attention. They were South Asian men—they took advantage of my situation. It's happening in London. And those who don't believe it need to look again.”
Government-commissioned research noted “disproportionate numbers of men from Asian ethnic backgrounds” among suspects in group-based child sexual exploitation, while survivors report abusers of different ethnicities, ages, and religions.
A spokesperson for the Mayor of London said Sadiq Khan has invested £2.4 million in support services for victims and is overseeing reforms to strengthen protection against child exploitation. “The Mayor is clear that the Met must follow the evidence wherever it leads,” the statement said.
Kelly, who used an alias speaking to the Daily Mail, said she was first approached by three men and initially felt it gave her a sense of belonging. “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. “I didn't feel like I was groomed or exploited. I didn't think I was a victim. It's taken me a while to realise I was used and manipulated.”
Another survivor, Millie, described being passed between multiple men while under the influence of drugs and alcohol. She said her experience mirrored cases reported in northern towns. “Then I'd come out. Could be another one. After that, it could be another one. Sometimes it was only one. Sometimes it could be three,” she said.
Detective Sergeant John Knox, head of the Metropolitan Police’s Child Exploitation Team, said girls are “the lowest rung” within gangs. “Within that gang world, the girls are the lowest rung, and they have to do as they are told, and that includes sexually,” he told the BBC. Knox said at least 60 children in Southwark and Lambeth are currently being exploited, some as young as 13.
Police receive about 2,000 reports of child sexual or criminal exploitation annually, covering cases of either form or both. Following a national review, more than 1,200 cases are being reviewed, with new teams and specialist training aimed at earlier intervention.
Ruth, another survivor, said her abusers targeted her for sex while giving her expensive items. “It felt like I had multiple boyfriends giving me attention. They were South Asian men—they took advantage of my situation. It's happening in London. And those who don't believe it need to look again.”
Government-commissioned research noted “disproportionate numbers of men from Asian ethnic backgrounds” among suspects in group-based child sexual exploitation, while survivors report abusers of different ethnicities, ages, and religions.
A spokesperson for the Mayor of London said Sadiq Khan has invested £2.4 million in support services for victims and is overseeing reforms to strengthen protection against child exploitation. “The Mayor is clear that the Met must follow the evidence wherever it leads,” the statement said.
