Drug gangs exploited and raped us as teens, then police failed us, women tell BBC
Four women have come forward to share their experiences of being sexually exploited and trafficked by drug gangs during their teenage years. They allege that authorities consistently failed to protect them or take their reports of abuse seriously.
Why it matters
This report highlights a critical gap in child protection services and the often-overlooked intersection between drug-related criminal activity and sexual exploitation.
Image caption, Christine moved to Coventry with her mother when her parents' divorced
Warning: Contains details of sexual exploitation
"It was the thrill of being with a bad boy."
Christine was 13 when she began exchanging messages online with someone she believed was a teenage boy.
On their first meeting, she discovered he was a grown man 10 years older than herself. He also told her he was involved with gangs and drugs.
"I always knew, OK, he's probably hurt someone, but in terms of hurting me, I didn't think it would get to that point," she says.
Over the next few years, he would use Christine to courier drugs, subject her to extreme sexual exploitation, and assault her so violently she feared she might die.
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