The Scottish Government’s announcement of a statutory public inquiry into group-based child sexual abuse and exploitation is one of the most significant safeguarding developments Scotland has seen in years.

For many survivors, campaigners and members of the public, the announcement brought something rare, cautious hope.

But alongside that hope sits a deep and understandable scepticism. Because survivors in Scotland have heard promises before.

For years, questions around organised child sexual abuse and exploitation have often felt politically uncomfortable, difficult to discuss openly, or too easily pushed aside behind claims of limited data, differing definitions, or a lack of evidence about the scale of offending in Scotland compared to elsewhere in the UK.

Meanwhile, survivors continued to speak.

Now, with Jenny Gilruth not only central to this announcement: https://www.parliament.scot/-/media/files/committees/citizen-participation-and-public-petitions-committee/correspondence/2024/pe2190/pe2190_c.pdf

But also stepping into the role of Deputy First Minister, this inquiry becomes more than a safeguarding issue. It becomes a test of political credibility for the SNP government itself.

The question now is simple:

Will Scotland finally confront these crimes fully and transparently or will this inquiry eventually fade into the background once public pressure eases?

The inquiry matters because child sexual exploitation does not disappear simply because institutions struggle to discuss it publicly. Organised abuse, grooming, coercion and exploitation devastate lives regardless of postcode, politics or national image.

Too often concerns were raised, but responses frequently centred around whether enough evidence existed to justify wider concern, whether Scotland’s situation was somehow “different”, or whether the issue was being overstated.

For survivors, that can feel less like scrutiny and more like avoidance.

No responsible person is arguing for panic, misinformation or politically motivated narratives. But equally, refusing to confront difficult realities helps nobody  least of all victims.

This inquiry therefore carries enormous responsibility.

It cannot simply become a procedural exercise designed to reassure the public while changing very little underneath. Survivors will be watching closely to see whether this process genuinely seeks truth and accountability, or whether it becomes another lengthy institutional process that produces headlines but little meaningful change.

The SNP government now faces a defining moment.

If ministers truly believe in transparency, safeguarding and accountability, then this inquiry must be independent, properly resourced and willing to examine uncomfortable questions wherever they lead. That includes institutional failures, reporting gaps, policing responses, safeguarding systems and whether political caution has delayed recognition of some of the scale of exploitation.

It must also examine current risks, not only historical failures.

One of the biggest fears among survivors and campaigners is that by the time institutions fully acknowledge a problem, more children will already have been harmed. Public inquiries are important, but they cannot become substitutes for urgent action in the present.

Today, I wrote directly to Jenny Gilruth asking when the public, survivors and affected communities can expect further detail about the inquiry, including timelines and next steps.

Because announcements alone are not enough anymore.

Trust has to be earned.

And for many survivors, trust in institutions has already been damaged by years of feeling ignored, dismissed and failed.

The reality is this. Scotland now has an opportunity to show that no issue is too uncomfortable to investigate properly, and no victim is too inconvenient to hear.

But opportunities can also be wasted.

The coming months will reveal whether this inquiry represents the beginning of genuine accountability, or simply another moment where difficult truths slowly disappear from political focus once public attention moves on.

Survivors deserve more than statements.

They deserve answers.