Sexual grooming is the action or behavior used to establish an emotional connection with a vulnerable person under the age of consent – and sometimes the victim's family, Children who are groomed may experience mental health issues, including "anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress, and suicidal thoughts".

History and recognition

Origins

Before the term "grooming" was associated with grooming a child for sexual abuse, it had come to have a meaning of mentorship, coaching, or preparing someone for leadership.

From 1975 to 1985, law enforcement in the United States became increasingly aware of child sexual abuse that happened to children from outside their family, committed by those who were not strangers. There was also growing awareness that offenders joined youth-serving organizations to gain access to potential victims.

Ken Lanning is credited with being one of the first professionals to use the term "grooming".

In 2008, a BBC report stated that "grooming" had taken on a pejorative meaning; no longer associated with animal care or mentoring, it had become associated with pedophiles and pedophilia. A trusting relationship with the family means the child's parents are less likely to believe potential accusations. They might give gifts or money to the child in exchange for sexual contact, or simply because they like or love them. Commonly, they show pornography to the child, or talk about sexual topics with the child, hoping to make it easy for the child to accept such acts, thus normalizing the behavior. They may also engage in hugging, kissing, or other physical contact, even when the child does not want it.

When grooming techniques are successful, the resulting compliance of the child can be mis-interpreted as consent; and the child treated as if they were not a victim of crime. a person who attempts to isolate a child from their friends or family, or who discourages the child from spending time with others; or a person who asks a child to keep secrets or who makes the child feel like they are special or important in a way that is inappropriate.

Impact on victims

Grooming has devastating impacts on victims, damaging their sense of self, eroding their ability to trust others, and severely impacting mental health. Children who are groomed may feel they are to blame for their abuse, and have difficulty placing blame on the perpetrator. Survivors may perceive aspects of human connection as threat cues, and thus may find it difficult to fully engage mentally with simple positive interactions, such as affirmation or compliments.

Many grooming tactics involve isolating a victim through fostering distrust or otherwise sabotaging other close relationships. This directly weakens the potential support network to process traumatic experiences, increasing the risk of long-term psychological ramifications. Victims can be left having been both isolated from existing social connections, and finding it difficult to form new ones.

Criminal offences

Because sexual grooming is a non-violent and non-threatening form of child sexual abuse, it includes behaviors that do not appear inappropriate on the surface, as the behavior is designed to control and conceal a sexual relationship with the victim. The behavior becomes a criminal act in the United States when one tries to "persuade, induce, entice, or coerce" a minor to engage in sexual activity. and "Indecent Liberties with a Child". In Kansas, "Aggravated Indecent Liberties with a Child" is used when an abuser has sex with the child.

Loverboy or Romeo pimps

In some contexts, such as the UK grooming gangs scandal, the behavior of Loverboy or Romeo Pimps has been described as 'grooming' by the media. Loverboy is a method used to lure young people into sexual exploitation and prostitution, where the target is initially approached romantically by the exploiter. The goal is to exploit the target, usually in the sex industry. Some abusers (sometimes posing as children themselves) chat with children online and make arrangements to meet with them in person. Internet initiated sex crimes against people under the age of consent are most commonly committed against the 13–17 age group (99% of cases), and particularly 13–14 (48%). The majority of targeted children are girls, and most victimization occurs with mobile-phone support. Minors who are highly curious and high-sensation-seeking are at higher risk than others.

Pedophiles and predators use online grooming to carry out cybersex trafficking crimes. After the pedophile gains the trust from a local cybersex trafficker, often a parent or neighbor of the victim, the online sexual exploitation will take place.

References

Further reading

==See also==<!-- PLEASE RESPECT ALPHABETICAL ORDER -->

  • Internet Watch Foundation
  • Grooming Children for Sexual Molestation, written by Gregory M. Weber, the Assistant Attorney General for the State of Wisconsin who specializes in the prosecution of crimes committed against children.
  • Cyber Grooming – danger of cyberspace, written by Kamil Kopecký, the professor at Palacký University Olomouc (director of Centre PRVoK)