Definitions[]
Grooming is
| “ | a process by which someone makes contact with a child with the motive of preparing them for abuse either online or offline.[1] | ” |
| “ | [u]sing the Internet to manipulate and gain trust of a minor as a first step towards the future sexual abuse, production or exposure of that minor.[2] | ” |
| “ | a premeditated behaviour intended to secure the trust and cooperation of children prior to engaging in sexual conduct.[3] | ” |
Overview[]
"Sometimes involves developing the child’s sexual awareness and may take days, weeks, months or in some cases years to manipulate the minor."[4]
"[G]rooming . . . is a process that commences with [sexual predators choosing a location or target area likely to be attractive to children. A process of grooming then commences during which offenders take a particular interest in their child victim to make them feel special with the intention of gaining their trust. As trust is developed between the child victim and the offender, offenders then seek to desensitise child victims to sexual conduct by introducing a sexual element into the relationship."[5]
"Abusers can use public online interactive spaces to find and meet children and young people. Indeed, children and young people can be exploited online without actual physical contact taking place in the real world, for example by sending and exchanging sexual images, and/or by persuading children and young people to send explicit images of themselves. Abusers may also record young people performing sexual acts through webcams.[6]
References[]
- ↑ Good Practice Guidance for the Providers of Social Networking Guidance and Other User Interactive Services, at 15.
- ↑ Cyber Security Planning Guide, at CSG-5.
- ↑ Online child grooming: a literature review on the misuse of social networking sites for grooming children for sexual offences, at x.
- ↑ Cyber Security Planning Guide, at CSG-5.
- ↑ Online child grooming: a literature review on the misuse of social networking sites for grooming children for sexual offences, at x.
- ↑ Good Practice Guidance for the Providers of Social Networking Guidance and Other User Interactive Services, at 15.