The grooming of teenage girls is to be investigated by the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre.

The move comes after two men were jailed last week in the north of England after they sexually abused vulnerable young girls.

But the problem is not confined to England as a brave Glasgow victim today speaks for the first time of her grooming nightmare...

Young girls in Glasgow are being targeted by gangs who force them into sex slavery.

The gangsters become the naive girls’ “friends” before using violence and intimidation to lure them into underage sex.

Speaking exclusively to the Evening Times, one victim has told her horrific story in a bid to make more people aware of the abuse being carried out in the city today.

Aged 14, Caroline (not her real name) was a “typical teenager” who loved nothing more than hanging out with her friends after school and the highlight of her week was a Saturday, when they would spend the afternoon shopping in the city centre.

But, by Caroline’s 15th birthday, her innocent childhood had come to an end.

She had been raped and sexually abused by dozens of men.

“One minute I was a normal teenage girl, the next, I was being forced to have sex with these old men.

“I had never even kissed a boy before – they completely took my innocence from me,” said Caroline, who turned 16 last October.

The teenager told how two of her friends became involved with a couple of older boys.

Caroline, who lived in Newlands, on the South Side of the city, explained: “My friends started going out with these two boys, so we all began spending lots of time together.

“But what we didn’t realise was that they were being used by the gang to lure naive girls into their underage sex ring.”

Caroline remembers every detail of how the gang took hold of her life.

“Our new ‘friends’ introduced me to an older relative – a man called Nasir.

He told me he was 21 and that he really liked me. I was young, stupid and naive, so I believed him.”

After meeting in 2008, Nasir began taking Caroline out regularly. He plied her with alcohol and showered her with gifts.

Caroline, who was educated at a private school, continued: “I thought he was so cool. I was having a great time – none of my friends had a boyfriend like this.

“I really had no idea that he was part of a gang. He seemed like the perfect gentleman.

“Soon, we were seeing each other every day. Nasir was so much more exciting than anyone else I knew.”

However, one day, Nasir revealed to Caroline, in the most brutal way imaginable, that he was in a gang – by raping her, in front of his fellow gang members, who, while laughing, recorded the attack on their mobile phones.

“He phoned me and said he wanted to go for a drive. I didn’t think anything of it.

“But before I had time to realise what was happening, it was all over and he dumped me at a bus stop.

“I cried the entire journey home. But I couldn’t bring myself to tell my mum and dad, after all, I wasn’t even meant to have a boyfriend.”

And the abuse did not stop there.

Caroline, who, despite escaping the gang, is still too terrified to use her real name, said: “He said I had to pay him back for all the presents and all the alcohol.

“In my mind, I wanted to believe Nasir had feelings for me.

“But he was just using me, and soon he was making money out of me by selling me to other men — I don’t know how much for.

“In just a few months, I’d slept with more than 60 men.”

Linda Thompson, Development Officer of the Glasgow-based Women’s Support Project, which works with victims of sexual exploitation, explained: “Grooming can take a variety of forms, such as getting the young person to truly believe that the groomer is their boyfriend, when in reality they have a very different agenda in mind with some form of profit or gain at the end of it.

“Another method is through buying the young person gifts, giving them free drugs and alcohol, mobile phone and top ups, all of which have to repaid at some stage – usually through prostitution.

“There is not one type of person that these exploiters ‘prey’ on but they are very in tune with what can make a young person vulnerable and more at risk.

“We have to prevent this exploitation continuing and growing and recognise it for what it is – violence against women.”

Ms Thompson added: “Whilst we must prioritise support for those who have been affected, we also need to work with young people to ensure they can recognise the early signs of grooming, in their own relationships and those of their friends.

“We have to take a stand and say this is not acceptable in Scottish culture.”

After more than a year of constant abuse, a frightened Caroline finally told her parents what was happening.

“Obviously their first instinct was to phone the police, but I had to explain to them that we couldn’t do that – these men are far too powerful.

After I told my parents, they kept me indoors and away from Nasir and the gang. But that didn’t stop them harassing us,” explained Caroline.

There were hundreds of phone calls, even after Caroline and her parents changed their phone numbers.

In the end, the pressure became too much and the family decided they had to move.

They have now settled in another part of Glasgow, and Caroline is receiving counselling to help her recover.

Recently, Caroline was out shopping with friends, when she spotted gang leader Nasir.

“At first I panicked, but I know he isn’t interested in me any more,” she said.

“He would have been looking for girls to groom as sex slaves. Younger ones, who men will pay more money for.”

Strathclyde Police’s Detective Chief Inspector John Weir, said: “We have tough measures in place to respond to any child abuse allegations, ensuring that officers can gather relevant information on victims and suspects as quickly as possible.

“We work with partners in other Force areas, as well as other law enforcement agencies, to ensure that all inquiries are co-ordinated and progressed within defined timescales.

“This is to reduce the opportunities for further offending and thereby minimise the risk of harm to victims.”