The Rotherham child sexual exploitation (CSE) scandal, spanning from 1997 to 2013, remains one of the most harrowing examples of systemic failure in safeguarding vulnerable children in the UK. Over this 16-year period, an estimated 1,400 children were victims of sexual exploitation, suffering abuse so appalling it defies comprehension. The subsequent investigations revealed widespread institutional neglect, mismanagement, and societal indifference.