Much of the country was quite shocked, disappointed and angry about the decision of so many Members of Parliament to refuse a public inquiry into the scandal of grooming gangs. For the survivors of historical child sexual exploitation, this must have felt like the most brutal betrayal. Surely the only people who have anything to fear from an inquiry are the perpetrators of abuse and the individuals, organisations and institutions, which turned a blind eye to what was going on.

Unless lessons are learnt from these horrific events, how can we have confidence that they won’t happen again? How can we have confidence they aren’t happening right now and not too far from home maybe in Cardiff or Newport?

At least 1,400 children were the victims of the most horrendous sexual exploitation in Rotherham during a period of almost 20 years. The abuse occurred between 1997 and 2013 and the abusers were predominantly men of Pakistani heritage. There were similar scandals in other towns including Oxford, Oldham, Telford and Rochdale. The cases led to investigations into some of the alleged failings which allowed the abuse to happen and to continue for so long. The Crown Prosecution Service was criticised for a failure to take the scandal seriously and a number of alleged perpetrators managed to avoid prosecution.

A series of recommendations have been published in a report by Baroness Jay but I understand that the government hasn’t even committed to enacting all the recommendations. Several senior Labour politicians, like Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, have come out in favour of a national inquiry into the scandals. Only by learning the lessons of this sordid chapter can we have put measures in place to ensure they’re not repeated. Why were so many opportunities to expose the abuse missed? Did political correctness or concerns about racial tensions prevent some people in positions of authority from raising the alarm?

I’m really disappointed that not a single Welsh MP supported the call for a national inquiry. Labour MPs voted with their party whip. Surely there are times as an MP when you put the public first. Whether it’s on support for farmers, pensioners, WASPI women or the safety and wellbeing of children, surely this is more important than a party whip. MPs will have to justify their actions. I hope residents will help put pressure on decisionmakers to do what’s right and put the safety of children first.