‘We were abused as children – now we’re being ignored by the government and Oldham council’

Victims of child sex abuse from Oldham say they’re being ‘ignored’ by Oldham council and the government over promises for an inquiry into grooming gangs.

Survivors and campaigners say they’ve been waiting months for an update since prime minister Sir Keir Starmer said in June there would be a national inquiry.

This came after it was recommended by Baroness Louise Casey in an audit into child sexual exploitation. The Labour government previously rejected calls for a nationwide probe.

Councillors in Oldham also voted to demand an inquiry in February.

But survivors of abuse say they’ve been left in the dark about when it will happen – a situation described by one victim as ‘traumatising’.

The Home Office said it has committed to a new national inquiry with ‘specific investigations locally’, and that it is in the process of appointing a chair, and speaking with victims as part of the process.

Oldham council said it is working with the Home Office to ‘ensure the voices of survivors in Oldham are listened to and believed.’

But Maggie Oliver, the former Greater Manchester Police detective turned campaigner, said it was ‘scandalous’ that more progress hasn’t yet been made.

“There’s not a single bone in my body that’s surprised about it, this pantomime is just what I have seen from successive governments,” she added.
A survivor from Oldham known as Amelia, which is not her real name, said she feels US-based billionaire Elon Musk has done more to keep the issue in the public eye than the government, by posting about it on his social media site X (formerly called Twitter).

Amelia spoke about her experiences in Oldham, where she said aged 14 she was abused by men in their 40s and older.

She told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “When the government announced in June that there was going to be a national one, everything ceased, we’ve not heard anything since.

“I’m angry, I think all of us who have been fighting this are quite traumatised because we finally got our hopes up and now we’ve just been left with nothing.
“The government, the council, no updates, after everything we’ve all been through to then have it snatched away with nothing.

“It shows that our abuse and what happened afterwards doesn’t matter, we’re not high enough up on the list of priorities for the government or the council to care enough to even give us an update to say we’re still waiting.”

Jamie Leigh Jones, 28, is another victim from Oldham who says she was abused from the age of 12 by around 50 men in total, across Greater Manchester and beyond.

Ms Jones has waived her right to anonymity to speak out about the issue, and said she’s ‘really scared for children in the future’.

“What I’d say to Keir Starmer is that he owes it to all victims and survivors across the UK to admit and to apologise and take the recommendations of a national inquiry and put them into fruition.

“If they can’t fully admit that what’s happened has happened, how do we expect them to make changes? I feel like it would open up a lot, because you can’t change things you’re not willing to accept.”

Failsworth-based charity Keeping Our Girls Safe has been supporting survivors of child sex abuse.

Hayley Harewood, the chief executive of the charity, said the lack of updates on an inquiry is causing distress to victims.

“There’s people that are waiting to tell their story and it’s becoming a bit of a disheartening situation for people where commitments have been made, and people have almost hyped themselves up for the ball to start rolling.

“So far I think Jess Phillips mentioned something in Parliament not too long ago, but it’s time for action now, we need to see less talk and more action.

“In terms of people’s mental health and wellbeing, if you think you will have the opportunity like some of my ladies who have waited for years and years, decades, to be able to finally be heard and seen, and actually for that goal post to be ever moving, to have no updates at all, it’s mentally and emotionally really testing.

“We need to be showing that there’s zero tolerance, no matter how long ago your experience was, for a proper commitment to it. The politicians have said the right thing, but now what we need is action, to see it happening and to materialise.”

An Oldham council spokesperson said: “Since the announcement of an inquiry in June, we have continued to work with the Home Office to ensure the voices of survivors in Oldham are listened to and believed. We understand the frustration of survivors, and we are working to find a way forward as quickly as we can. As soon as we have any further updates, we will share them.”

A Home Office spokesperson said: “The sexual abuse of children by grooming gangs is one of the most horrific crimes imaginable, and every allegation must be thoroughly investigated, no matter where it leads.

“We have committed to a new national inquiry which will undertake specific investigations locally. We are in the process of appointing a chair, and we are consulting victims and survivors as part of this process, to ensure we get it right.”