From Lived Experience to Downing Street: Meeting the Prime Minister

In June 2026, I had the opportunity to meet the Prime Minister at Downing Street as part of a discussion with survivors about human trafficking, sexual violence and the experiences of those who have been subjected to abuse and exploitation.

For me, this was both a significant professional moment and an intensely personal one.

My understanding of trauma does not come solely from my work as a counsellor and psychotherapist. It is also informed by my own lived experience of grooming, sexual abuse and human trafficking as a young person. Being able to take that experience into a space where decisions are made was something I could never have imagined when I was younger.

What mattered most to me was the opportunity for survivors' voices to be heard.

Sexual violence, grooming and trafficking can have consequences that extend far beyond the abuse itself. Trauma can affect a person's relationships, identity, sense of safety and emotional wellbeing for many years. Too often, survivors have also had to navigate systems that have not fully understood the complexity of trauma or the courage it can take simply to speak about what happened.

The meeting reinforced for me why survivor involvement matters. Policies and services designed to address sexual violence and exploitation need to be informed not only by statistics and professional expertise, but also by the people who have experienced these crimes.

This is particularly important when we consider children and young people. Grooming rarely looks obvious while it is happening. A young person may not recognise themselves as being exploited, and the adults around them may not recognise the warning signs either. Prevention therefore requires greater awareness, earlier intervention and a willingness to listen when something does not feel right.

The Government has continued to place child sexual exploitation, grooming and violence against women and girls within its policy agenda, including work on survivor support, policing and institutional responses.

The meeting has strengthened my determination to contribute to that conversation.

Today, I bring together lived experience, professional therapeutic practice and continuing academic study in criminology and criminal psychology. Increasingly, I want to use those perspectives not only within the therapy room, but also through education, speaking and awareness work.

If sharing what I have learned can help another person recognise grooming earlier, encourage a professional to respond differently to a disclosure, or help a survivor feel heard, then speaking about these issues has a purpose.

For me, that is where lived experience can become part of meaningful change.