Holly Archer is the author of I Never Gave My Consent: A Schoolgirl's Life Inside the Telford Sex Ring and the founder of the Holly Project, a survivor-led support service helping people who have experienced child sexual exploitation and their families. We caught up with Holly as part of our series on the politics of survivor engagement to ask about the genesis and reception of her book, its appropriation by certain groups to support a far-right agenda, and her interactions with the media and other anti-trafficking professionals as a survivor in the public eye. An explanation of how we produced this interview can be found at the end.
Ella Cockbain (BTS): Your book I Never Gave My Consent recounts your experience with child sexual exploitation in the UK. By way of introduction, could you please tell us about why you wrote this book?
Holly Archer: I had to go to counselling when my daughter started nursery. I was so scared of what might happen to her. I'd watch all the other parents walk away and think, ‘how can you just leave your children with these people? You don't know who they are.’
