For decades, the state treated them as offenders. Now, they are being told the path to clearing their names is narrow, bureaucratic, and incomplete.

Baroness Louise Casey, who led the landmark national investigation into grooming gangs, has issued a sharp rebuke of the government’s response to victims of child sexual exploitation. While ministers have introduced legislation to pardon "child prostitution" offences, Casey argues this is a "lazy option" that ignores the broader reality of how these survivors were criminalized.

She is not alone. Thousands of women who were groomed, raped, and trafficked as children remain trapped by criminal records that prevent them from securing employment, volunteering, or traveling. For these survivors, the government’s current legislative fix is a hollow gesture.

The Limits of the Pardon

The new legislation focuses exclusively on "child prostitution" offences. It does not account for the myriad other charges—such as public order offences or theft—that survivors often accumulated while being coerced by their abusers.

Consider the case of "Joanne," a pseudonym for a woman now in her 50s. Between the 1990s and 2010s, she was groomed and sexually exploited by more than 500 men. Despite being a child, she was repeatedly arrested and prosecuted. She holds more than 40 convictions for loitering and soliciting. While the new law may address those specific charges, it ignores convictions she received after turning 18, even though she was still being trafficked at the time.

"Everybody told me that I was this problem," she told the BBC. "That I was guilty and I had committed a crime."

A Call for a Comprehensive Scheme

Baroness Casey’s audit, published last June, included 12 recommendations that the government initially accepted. One year later, she says the progress is insufficient. She is calling for a comprehensive "disregard scheme" that would allow for the individual review and quashing of all convictions shaped by sexual abuse.

"Just doing an expunging of child prostitution offences is not good enough," Casey said. "It's not quick enough, it's not clever enough and the system can do an awful lot better."

The Home Office maintains that it is committed to reviewing convictions shaped by childhood abuse. A spokesperson stated that victims should contact the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC). For many survivors, however, the CCRC process is daunting, expensive, and emotionally grueling. It places the burden of proof back onto the victim.

The Human Cost of Bureaucracy

For survivors like Fiona Goddard, the current system is a barrier to recovery. Targeted by a grooming gang while in a children’s home, Goddard estimates she has between 30 and 50 convictions. Many were for public order offences, a direct result of the trauma she endured.

"The care homes weren't allowed to offer you comfort," she explained. When she returned from being raped and beaten, her emotional distress was met with police intervention rather than support.

Key Takeaways

  • The government’s current pardon scheme only covers "child prostitution" offences, leaving thousands of other abuse-related convictions intact.
  • Baroness Louise Casey has labeled the current approach a "lazy option," arguing for a broader, more compassionate disregard scheme.
  • Survivors are calling for a systematic review of all convictions linked to their exploitation, rather than forcing individuals to navigate the complex CCRC process alone.

What Happens Next

The government’s next major test will come when the Home Office presents its formal update on the implementation of the remaining 11 recommendations from Casey’s audit. Until then, thousands of women remain in legal limbo. For them, the state’s failure is not a matter of policy—it is a daily, lived reality that continues to dictate their access to the workforce and their ability to move freely in society.