Girls who survived the Southport knife attack have been “forgotten” and are being denied vital support because court-ordered anonymity has left authorities unaware of who they are, their distraught parents have claimed. Twenty-three girls survived the attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance and yoga workshop in July 2024, when 17-year-old Axel Rudakubana carried out what has been described as the worst mass stabbing in modern British history.

Three girls, Bebe King, Elsie Dot Stancombe and Alice da Silva Aguiar, were murdered. Rudakubana later pleaded guilty to murder and attempted murder charges and was sentenced to a minimum of 52 years behind bars.

Now, the families of some of the surviving children say their daughters continue to live with devastating physical and psychological injuries, while struggling to access long-term help. One girl was stabbed 33 times and dragged back inside the studio after initially escaping, according to her parents.

Another child lost her spleen and faces lifelong vulnerability to infection, while two sisters injured in the attack still sleep beside their parents because of recurring nightmares.

Parents said their children’s identities were protected by a court order imposed after prosecutors applied for anonymity during legal proceedings.

While families support the measure, they believe it has had unintended consequences. One mother said: “There are 23 girls moving around this town, and nobody has any idea who they are.”

The accounts emerged during a BBC investigation in which the broadcaster spoke to the parents of five survivors, all of whom said they felt their daughters’ experiences had disappeared from public understanding of the attack.

Several families claimed they had missed out on support because councils and agencies either did not know who the children were or failed to co-ordinate assistance properly.

One mother said her daughter’s innocence had been “taken away”, adding the child now constantly looks over her shoulder and is frightened to walk outside alone.

Another parent said officials had never made them aware of the help available.

She said: “I think we have fallen through the cracks.”

Claire Waxman, the Victims’ Commissioner for England and Wales, described the families’ accounts as “deeply concerning” and said they raised “serious questions” about whether survivors had received appropriate support after “such extreme trauma”.

Lawyers representing 22 of the 23 surviving children also criticised confusion surrounding the anonymity order.

Nicola Ryan-Donnelly, of Fletchers Solicitors, said: “People are scared to talk about these girls in important rooms, where they need to be represented in order to access support.”

Sefton Council said it continued to support those affected through a dedicated recovery team working with partner agencies.

Lancashire County Council said it had contacted families through schools and would welcome further discussions about ongoing help.

The families now meet regularly, with many of the girls attending dance and pilates classes together as they try to rebuild their lives.

One mother said: “They fight so hard every day to just keep going. There’s so much more to them than the letters and numbers that were given against their name in court.”