Three Girls is a three-part BBC drama about the endemic sexual exploitation of young white working class girls in Rochdale, which resulted in the conviction of nine British Asian men in 2012. This case ushered in the beginning of a nationwide reckoning with the problem of child grooming- identifying thousands of victims of sexual abuse in towns and cities throughout the UK a reckoning that continues to this day. The drama tells the true story of three girls, Holly, and sisters Amber and Ruby, and their families. All three girls were the victims not only of gangs of... men, but also of the organs of the state that were meant to protect them. The police, social services, and the justice system were all complicit by default or by design in allowing young women to be abused in Rochdale for over a decade. ROCHDALE unearths the complex, interlocking and surprising reasons why. [show more]
A shocking story, all the more so because it really happened. It is so hard to imagine the mind set of perpetrators of this kind of action. The story looks the experience of the girls and easy it was for them to became vulnerable to grooming for sexual exploitation. There are some extremely sad parts, particularly as Ruby thinks she is loved by one of the abusers, and it is not easy viewing.
It is interesting, but not enormously surprising if you have ever worked in public services, to see how poorly the cases were originally investigated and the fight Sara Robotham (Molly Windsor) had to have to get the issues taken seriously.Multi-agency approaches should improve safeguarding children in the future, although it was thought this would happen after Victoria Climbe and the Children's Act, 2004.
Molly Windsor is superb, demonstrating all the frustration, empathy and anger of a professional caught between fighting professional services and advocating for the young people's best interests. The actresses playing the girls are utterly convincing - a well selected cast, operating within highly plausible set direction.
The classification of 15 is interesting and I can see the difficulties around this decision. I think I would show it children over 13 (depending on their maturity) with parental guidance. Parents watch it first though and forewarn your kids because there is some shocking stuff. It is important opportunity to have a conversation with young people about this issue, which is more common that we often realise.
Verdict
Brilliantly acted, very moving true story
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British crime drama miniseries based on true events following three girls in Rochdale who are groomed by British Pakistani men for sex trafficking with the passive attitude of the authorities leaving the girls in danger of further exploitation. When their cases are taken to court, the girls must relive their horrific ordeals to ensure that justice is served to the perpetrators. The cast includes Molly Windsor, Ria Zmitrowicz and Liv Hill.
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