Charity Barnardo's accused of blaming victim of child exploitation for her own sexual abuse

In a letter, children’s charity Barnardo’s seemed to blame a child exploitation victim for her own sexual abuse saying she could have avoided it.

17:00 16 October 2014

A letter written by a Barnardo’s project worker in 1993 says that the abuse of a 16-year-old girl was partly the victim’s fault. 

 

The newly revealed contact reportedly said: "The situation could have been avoided if [she] had not been party to the antics of a group of young men."

 

It goes on: "Having consumed a quantity of alcohol and three valium tablets [she] was not able to maintain control or respond to the situation in a constructive and cohesive way."

 

The victim, who is now 37 years old, reacted by saying: 

 

"I woke up and I didn't have any clothes on and there were half naked men around," she said.

 

"I knew I'd been assaulted. I didn't know to what extent, I didn't know if I'd been raped or what, really."

 

"Looking back, how I feel now is absolute disgust with predominantly Barnardo's for knowing this happened, for blaming me for it happening and doing nothing about it," she said.

 

Meanwhile, Greg Mulholland, the woman's MP, is demanding an investigation. "To actually blame her for the most appalling abuse and grooming and indeed blackmail that she suffered is really appalling," he said.

 

"This woman who was then a 16-year-old girl, shortly out of care, very vulnerable, was seriously, seriously let down by the two organisations who were there to protect her."

 

A statement from the charity to Sky News said: "This woman has been very brave in bringing this issue to light. It must have been a very difficult and distressing step to have taken after so many years.

"Barnardo's takes this very seriously and we will fully investigate."