Naomi

I never imagined, in a million years, that I would ever come forward about what happened to me. That I have done so is a testament to the courage of every survivor who refused to be silenced, and to the knowledge that standing together is the only way to ensure that what was done to us is never minimised, never forgotten, and never allowed to happen again.

I stand in full solidarity with my fellow survivors. We are united not only by what we endured, but by our determination to see justice done, not just for ourselves, but for every woman who was failed by those who looked the other way. Mohamed Al-Fayed did not operate in a vacuum. He was enabled, and those who were complicit in that, whether through silence, wilful blindness, or worse, must also be held to account. That is not vengeance but it will be some justice, and it is long overdue.

This campaign matters enormously. For many of us, coming forward has meant confronting not only our own pain but a system that was never designed with survivors in mind. The progress that has been made has been hard-won, and it has come about because survivors found one another and chose to speak. I am proud to be among them.

I must also speak to something that has caused many of us considerable sadness: the Harrods redress scheme. I do not support it, and I know I am far from alone in that. My heart goes out to those who were lured into it, because in accepting a settlement on Harrods' own terms, they are now bound by it, any other avenue closed to them. That is precisely why so many of us made the decision not to go down that road, however great the pressure or the appeal of an early resolution. What saddens me equally, however, is that there are those in positions of influence who chose to advocate on behalf of that scheme, people who knew full well what accepting it would mean for the women involved, and who lent it a credibility it did not deserve. In doing so, they let down the very people they purported to represent. That is a profound betrayal, and it cannot go unsaid.

I also want to say plainly that the advances we have seen simply would not have happened without the tireless, selfless dedication of Keaton Stone. He has supported so many of us without condition or agenda, always available regardless of the hour or the time zone, giving his time, his energy, and in some cases far more than that, entirely at his own expense and out of genuine compassion for every one of us. That kind of commitment is rare, and it deserves to be recognised.

We do not all have to shout to be heard. But we must keep speaking, for ourselves, for those who cannot yet find the words, and for those who were never given the chance.