What is grooming? – Grooming is a process of targeting and engaging a child in sexual activity. These grooming tactics are often directed at potential youth victims as well as the adult caregivers. After gaining access to children and youth by achieving trust, the perpetrator initiates some kind of contact that they find sexually gratifying. This sexual contact may range from voyeurism to rape and other forms of abuse.
The Stages of Grooming
1.) Identifying and targeting the victim. Any child or teen may be a potential victim. Someone looking to abuse a child will look for certain characteristics in children and their families. Some characteristics can include, isolation, low self-confidence, emotional instability, lack of supervision.
2.) Gaining trust and access. A perpetrator can analyze a child’s needs and develop a plan to meet those needs. They may offer the child special attention, understanding and a sympathetic ear, provide the child with gifts and/or special treats. The perpetrator pretends to share common interests and experiences with the child to gain friendship and trust.
3.) Playing a role in the child’s life or filling a need for the child. The perpetrator may manipulate the relationship with the child to make it appear to the child that they are the only one who fully understands the child or meets the child’s needs. The perpetrator may provide access to privileges or activities typically unavailable or off limits to the child. They may provide excessive attention and affections toward the child and/or their family.
4.) Isolating the child. A perpetrator will create situations to be alone with the child. Offering rides and/or taking the child out of their surroundings to separate them from others in order to gain access. During isolation the perpetrator may begin to develop and convey a sense of secrecy around the relationship with the child in order to prevent the them from telling others about the abuse.
5.) Initiating sexual contact. This may begin with non-sexual physical contact. Gradually the perpetrator may begin to talking sexually or introduce more sexualized touching to desensitize the child. The perpetrator will begin to test the child’s boundaries and curiosity with touch and sexuality. They may try to create situation for the child to undress such as swimming, bathing or shopping for clothing.
6.) Maintaining control over the relationship. Perpetrators rely on secrecy to ensure that the child will not reveal the abuse. Perpetrators may threaten to harm the child or their family/friends if they disclose, make the child feel that they deserve the abuse, or tell the child that they will not be believed if they disclose the abuse.
Our Mission: To end violence, inspire hope and provide unwavering support to all people affected by domestic and sexual violence by engaging our community in safety, equality and partnership.
Our Vision: Embrace envisions a courageous social change taking place ending all forms of oppression and violence and creating healthy communities where every person has the support to thrive.
Rusk County 24-hour Office and Safe Shelter- Phone/Text - 715-532-6976 or Crisis Line- 800-924-0556 / Price County Outreach Office - 715-339-4521 / Washburn County Outreach Office - 715-635-5245
Last Update: Apr 11, 2017 10:18 am CDT
