Hollyoaks has released a short documentary that sees stars Isabelle Smith, Tamara Wall and Anya Lawrence meet with real-life survivors of child exploitation.
The actors, as viewers know, featured in a storyline on the Channel 4 soap centred on criminal and sexual exploitation, with Frankie Osborne (Isabelle) and Vicky Grant (Anya) groomed by Grace Black (Tamara).
The story came to a head last month when the teens were rescued by Darren Osborne (Ashley Taylor Dawson) from Fernmere Hill, where they had been held captive.
The new documentary – titled Groomed Then Exploited – sees Isabelle, Tamara and Anya visit a group of 16 to 18-year-olds at Liverpool-based college LIPA to discuss the importance of knowing how to spot the signs of exploitation.
Filmed on the legendary Hollyoaks set, the video will see Melanie, who has lived experience with sexual exploitation, talk to Isabelle about how her difficult upbringing contributed to her being vulnerable to being exploited.
Melanie’s story is intertwined with clips of Hollyoaks’ narrative and the parallels with Frankie’s experience are clear.
Melanie wants to share her story in the hopes of breaking the silence and stigma around exploitation, telling other survivors that ‘their past doesn’t define their future and healing is possible’.
Tamara, meanwhile, speaks to Sabrina, who reflects on her years after escaping her abusers.
‘I felt a lot of shame, embarrassment etc, and then I realised it’s not my shame to hold, it’s not my embarrassment,’ said Sabrina.
Causeway representatives Iona and Chad discuss their aims to educate people on the signs of child exploitation.
‘The more people who are able to spot the signs, who are able to raise concerns, the more people we prevent from being exploited in the future,’ added Chad.
Hollyoaks: Groomed and Exploited can be viewed on Hollyoaks’ Official YouTube channel.
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