A survivor of grooming gang abuse has accused the Scottish government of taking too long to deliver the public inquiry it promised "at pace" almost nine months ago.
Holly Alex, 36, went into care at the age of 14 after her stepfather went to prison and her relationship with her mother broke down.
Holly's social care records, seen by BBC Scotland News, show that staff recorded concerns that she was being "groomed" for sex by "adult Asian men" as a teenager. They also indicate social workers and police knew of the risks she faced.
Education Secretary Màiri McAllan said safeguarding children was the government's priority, and the planned statutory inquiry was a core part of this work.
The Scottish government ordered a public inquiry into grooming gangs in February following mounting political pressure.
Between the ages of 14 and 17, Holly lived in five different children's homes across Edinburgh.
Police Scotland has confirmed it was made aware of some reports made by Holly during this time period and an investigation is ongoing.
Holly's care records contain repeated references to her going missing from her accommodation before returning intoxicated, with unexplained sums of money.
At the same time, professionals described her as "sexually promiscuous" and "flirtatious".
Holly said roughly 25 to 50 men were involved in her abuse in a series of flats in Edinburgh and Livingston during her time in care.
What initially appeared to be friendship and generosity, soon became exploitation and abuse.
"At the start, 14-year-old Holly felt this was great," she said. "But then slowly realised these men expected something from you.
"It was explicitly told to me: 'You basically need to give us something back, because we gave you all this money, drink, cigarettes, food. We need something back.'
"For a while, I thought I was clever because I used to manage to escape before anything happened.
"But they caught on to that very quickly and my opportunities to leave became far and few between.
"And if I tried to leave, I was met with physical violence."
She added: "Sometimes you'd go to a property and there was maybe two people there, sometimes… seven men there.
"I was taken to a specific house and when I arrived there were several men and several young girls.
"You never knew what you were walking in to."
When asked how she feels about her experience now, Holly said: "Younger me would have said 'disgusting', but it's not my fault."
The Scottish government announced plans for a public inquiry into group-based child sexual abuse and exploitation in February, with the then Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth pledging to "leave no stone unturned".
Almost nine months on, Holly said survivors were still waiting for meaningful progress.
"I want them to know that survivors have been waiting, some of us for absolute decades," she said.
"If you say you'll do something at pace, do it at pace.
"Don't just pay lip service to it. Some people's lives depend on the truth coming out."
Holly also argued that the term "grooming gang" had become weaponised, creating misconceptions about the nature of the abuse.
She added some survivors had told her they feared being excluded from the inquiry because their abusers did not fit a particular ethnic profile.
"A grooming gang is a group of two or more perpetrators, regardless of ethnicity or race," she said.
"I don't tie grooming gangs specifically to an ethnicity."
Education Secretary Màiri McAllan said sexual abuse and exploitation were "abhorrent crimes" that left a devastating effect on victims and their families.
She said: "Safeguarding children is our utmost priority, and we are taking determined action to establish the extent and scale of this abuse so we can prevent it.
"The statutory inquiry is a core part of this work, to be chaired by Prof Alexis Jay with the fullest investigatory powers."
A national review of group-based child sexual abuse in Scotland, published in September, external, found there is no reliable national picture of the scale of grooming gang offending because of inconsistent data collection and the absence of an agreed definition.
The review was also overseen by Prof Jay, who is a child sexual abuse expert.
Before evidence can be heard at the inquiry, its terms of reference must be formally agreed.
Ministers are expected to provide an update on the inquiry at Holyrood on Thursday.
Holly has been invited to take part in the Scottish government's Truth Project pilot, an exercise to listen to survivors, which is running alongside the public inquiry.
Then Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced a statutory independent investigation into grooming gangs in England and Wales in June 2025, with its terms of reference published earlier this year.
Scottish government orders public inquiry into grooming gangsPublished25 February
Scottish government orders public inquiry into grooming gangs
Abuse claims were 'brushed under the carpet' Published23 January 2025
Abuse claims were 'brushed under the carpet'
Police Scotland said it was committed to tackling all forms of child sexual exploitation, regardless of the passage of time.
A spokesperson added: "We know how difficult it can be to come forward and the needs of survivors are always at the heart of our victim-centred approach.
"We will continue to work with partners to identify and to protect potential victims, and to tackle child sexual exploitation and grooming."
Holly also experienced sexual abuse at a secure unit in Edinburgh.
Her evidence played a crucial role in convicting her abuser, carer Gordon Collins.
He was sentenced to 10 years in 2016 for indecent behaviour towards Holly and three other young people in his care.
The court heard he raped one girl over the course of a year.
Amanda Hatton, from City of Edinburgh Council, said: "We want to repeat our apology to Holly – and praise her and others who have bravely come forward to tell their stories.
"Testimonies like Holly's have already helped us to make significant changes to the service, including the closure of all secure residential accommodation across the city, and we're confident that children and young people in our care are now safer and better supported."
Hatton said the council was listening to young people but acknowledged there was more work to be done to "learn lessons from the past".
"If and where any criminality is suspected, we will always report this to Police Scotland urgently," she added.
If you have been affected by the issues raised in this article, help and support is available via BBC Action Line.
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