![\"'It's](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/0_Spiking-crackdown.jpg\")
‘It’s felt like a fight to get your voice heard'(Image: PA)<\/p>\nSurvivors of child sexual exploitation have spoken out after a day of turmoil for the national inquiry‘It’s felt like a fight to get your voice heard'(Image: PA)<\/p>\n
Survivors of child sexual exploitation in Greater Manchester feel they are \u2018back to square one\u2019 after several women quit the panel of a national inquiry into historic grooming cases.<\/p>\n
Three survivors claimed in their resignation letters to the Home Office there was a \u2018toxic, fearful environment\u2019 and that the review was \u2018less about the truth and more about a cover-up\u2019.<\/p>\n
Safeguarding Minister Jess Phillips denies claims of a cover-up and said the inquiry was \u201ccommitted to exposing the failures\u201d to tackle \u201cthese appalling crimes\u201d. The national inquiry was first announced by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer in June, with a number of CSE survivors invited to join a panel to help steer its direction.<\/p>\n
But a number of those involved have criticised the government for its handling of the panel. Survivors have blasted the choice of chairpeople, with the two shortlisted candidates reported to be a former police chief and a social worker, described as a \u2018disturbing conflict of interest\u2019 due to the role of GMP and social workers in some of the alleged failures to intervene in cases of suspected grooming.<\/p>\n
![](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/0_Aerial-View-over-Tommyfield-Market-and-the-changes-coming-to-Oldham.jpg\")
(Image: Sean Hansford | Manchester Evening News)<\/p>\n
One former panel member also took issue with the \u2018widening of the remit\u2019 beyond grooming gangs, which Phillips has denied.<\/p>\n
The public disagreement has left some survivors fearful over the future of the inquiry, while others said they had \u2018lost faith\u2019 in it before it had even begun.<\/p>\n
Sam Walker-Roberts, another survivor on the panel who has waived her anonymity, said there were problems with how the review was being managed, but felt \u2018walking out is unjustified\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does it achieve? We\u2019re now back to square one, all kicking off about what\u2019s going on,\u201d she told the Local Democracy Reporting Service.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re now back to square one, all kicking off about what\u2019s going on. Yes, we need to speak out and raise our concerns. I did so the minute it started. But every survivor matters. We\u2019ve never had a national inquiry where it\u2019s been survivor-led. This is the first of its kind.\u201d<\/p>\n
Walker-Roberts said she had argued for the terms of the inquiry to be widened.<\/p>\n
![](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/0_British-Prime-Minister-Keir-Starmer-Travels-To-Indiajpgr-a.jpg\")
(Image: Getty Images)<\/p>\n
She said: \u201cFor the past five years, the media and parliament have been calling this a CSE inquiry. But since the Casey report has come out, they\u2019ve changed the narrative and started calling it a grooming gang inquiry.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf those are the terms of the review, that wouldn\u2019t include me. I\u2019m not a grooming gang survivor. I\u2019m a CSE survivor. My case is a grey area. But there\u2019s so many victims who are in grey areas. Every survivor needs a voice in this.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf every survivor can be part of this national inquiry, then statistics will show the truth about everything. And it won\u2019t be the narrative the far right wants it to be.\u201d<\/p>\n
Walker-Roberts added that she\u2019d been far from happy with the panel so far.<\/p>\n
\u201cStage one of the panel felt like a fight to have your voice heard and say what you wanted,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd now none of us know what\u2019s going on to be honest. They refused to let me be part of Stage Two. Only a select few can be part of it.\u201d<\/p>\n