Rape gang survivor Fiona Goddard has said the failure to address the rape gang scandal is causing “generational impacts”.
Speaking to GB News, she said: “I’m really glad that Baroness Casey has spoken out and said what a lot of the survivors have been saying.
“This is that the government are only going to expunge records to do with child prostitution charges for victims, but most victims have got a multitude of criminal records of all different kinds, either due to the abuses that they were forced to participate in or as a consequence of the trauma.
“Yet none of these other issues are being addressed, and these issues are still impacting survivors and victims to this day.
“There just seems to be a mentality where they’re doing the least they can to look like they’re doing something without it actually having any benefit to survivors.
“Whether it’s a reluctance to accept the reality and the extent of the failings, as we saw with them closing down the compensation scheme for victims, that was to do with money.
“For us, it is just another failure on top of a long list of failures, another injustice that we’re left to deal with the consequences of. And a lot of this stuff, it passes down to our children, it’s causing generational impacts now.
“I’d like to, one day, not have to fight anymore. I’d like to be able to just live my life with my children.
“But a lot of the survivors don’t have the capability. They just don’t have it in them to fight. So I will quite happily take reliving the trauma if it means that I can try and push for things that other people just do not have the ability to push for.
“It’s not what I want to be doing with my life. I had totally different plans for my life, but it’s something I will gladly do for the people that can’t.
“I’m worried that we’re not going to get justice ever. I’m worried that the full truth will not be exposed. I think, for me, if the full truth was exposed, people would move on from it. We’d rebuild, we’d make changes, and eventually it would hopefully be a horrible memory, and it would not be reality for anyone again.
“I don’t understand the reluctance to do so, because while they’re holding back, real change cannot be made, and more victims keep getting added to the list.
“So, for me, I just don’t understand how they can rationalise failing more people on top of everyone they’ve already failed and I think I’m not alone in this.
“I know many survivors just want it to be over.
“When we first started speaking out, people were saying these stories were made up, this type of thing didn’t happen. So I think a lot of people just find it very hard to relate to, because they still don’t seem to understand that this happens. This is reality. This is fact. And I think that’s where a lot of the problems lie.”
