Hollyoaks confirms child exploitation story as Frankie and Dillon are groomed

Trigger warning: This nonfiction contains treatment of kid intersexual abuse. 

Hollyoaks has confirmed a transgression and intersexual exploitation storyline for Frankie Osborne (Isabelle Smith) and Dillon Ray (Nathaniel Dass) arsenic they’re groomed by a transgression gang.

The storyline successful question has been hinted at on-screen pursuing Grace Black’s (Tamara Wall) instrumentality to the acheronian side, with the erstwhile Loft proprietor successful cahoots with member Rex (Jonny Labey) and DI Banks.

Rex has been targeting Dillon, preying connected his vulnerability and desperately trying to interruption him and Lucas Hay (Oscar Curtis) up. Frankie, meanwhile, is being groomed online by Kat (Sonia Ibrahim) astatine the behest of Rex and Grace.

Frankie and Dillon are acceptable to beryllium offered a manner that they comprehend to beryllium glamorous but it volition soon travel to airy that they’ve been lured into a satellite that is precise hard to flight from arsenic they find themselves subjected to transgression and intersexual exploitation.

In bid to guarantee the storyline is arsenic authentic arsenic possible, Hollyoaks has worked intimately with Causeway, a foundation that supports, empowers and creates alteration for survivors of modern slavery.

Real-life survivors person besides informed the storyline.

Hollyoaks Executive Producer Hannah Cheers said: ‘It is imperative that Hollyoaks is perpetually talking to young radical astir safeguarding issues and ways successful which maltreatment tin infiltrate young lives. 

‘The assemblage people regenerates and the issues that young adults are susceptible to are perpetually evolving. Hollyoaks is successful a unsocial presumption to radiance a airy connected them, without lecturing, owed to the mode that the amusement tells stories.

‘The probe that we have, finds that the exploitation of young radical is an insidious occupation and increasing interest for multi safeguarding agencies.‘

Frankie, arsenic viewers know, was sexually abused by duplicate member JJ (Ryan Mulvey) successful a almighty storyline past year. Although JJ has been sent to situation for his crimes, the ordeal volition person a long-lasting effect connected her and frankincense permission her susceptible to grooming.

Dillon, meanwhile, was talented a location by Rex, who helium believes to beryllium a genuine confidante and supportive friend. Overtime, Rex’s manipulation volition increase, with Dillon forced to woody drugs connected behalf of Rex.

Frankie and Dillon volition past beryllium sexually exploited.

‘Frankie, post-trial is connected a travel of rebuilding her beingness and that indispensable beryllium filled with anticipation and potential, but besides reality,’ said Hannah, discussing the characters’ communicative journeys. ‘With the trauma that Frankie’s been through, there’s a batch to navigate successful life… 

‘She has this incredibly beardown enslaved with Darren and Nancy now, however, her knowing and acquisition of spot is inactive 1 that needs to beryllium worked out. 

‘We trial the narration betwixt Frankie and Darren and the mode that Frankie copes with that is we volition spot her effort to marque a spell of it connected her ain and extremity up perchance successful danger.

‘Her champion person Dillon has besides experienced a hard upbringing, from being ostracised from his household location astatine 15 for being expelled, leaving him estranged from his parents, to becoming a teenage dada past year. Challenging upbringings marque young radical much susceptible to grooming.

‘We privation this communicative to shed a airy connected a precise existent occupation that manifests successful antithetic ways for antithetic individuals arsenic we volition spot done the eyes of champion friends.’

Real beingness subsister Emily Vaughn was forced arsenic a teen into intersexual exploitation aft being groomed by older men and encouraged to signifier a dependency connected drugs.

‘Being progressive successful helping to make the exploitation storyline with Hollyoaks and utilizing my ain lived acquisition to assistance signifier portion of their research, provided an accidental to amplify the voices of survivors that often spell unheard,’ she said.

‘Hollyoaks person been fantastic taking these idiosyncratic narratives from survivors, and transforming them into a powerful, authentic and delicate storyline.  

‘I anticipation this communicative volition shed airy connected the harsh realities of modern grooming, whilst inspiring anticipation and resilience for survivors everywhere.’

For much accusation connected Modern Slavery and Child Exploitation, sojourn Causeway.

Hollyoaks streams Mondays to Wednesdays from 7am on Channel 4’s streaming platform, oregon drawback episodes connected TV astatine 7pm connected E4.

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