Online grooming is a serious threat that is affecting more and more young Internet users. It involves adults making contact with children and teenagers for the purpose of sexually exploiting them. Cybercriminals often use false identities to gain the trust of their victims. The process can take weeks or even months, with tragic consequences for young people and their families.

Table of Contents:

What is grooming?

Grooming is the process by which an adult establishes a relationship with a child or teenager for the purpose of sexually abusing him or her. It is a particularly dangerous phenomenon because it often takes place under the guise of innocent friendship or emotional support. Grooming can take place in both the real and virtual worlds, but in the age of widespread access to the Internet and social media, its scale online is particularly alarming.

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The grooming process consists of several stages:

  1. Making contact: The perpetrator first looks for potential victims who may be susceptible to manipulation. He often chooses children and adolescents who are lonely, experiencing emotional difficulties or have problems in family relationships.
  2. Gaining trust: The abuser tries to gain the child’s trust, often by pretending to be a friend, mentor or someone who shares the same interests. He or she may provide emotional support, show understanding and offer help in difficult situations.
  3. Isolation: As the relationship develops, the abuser tries to isolate the child from family and friends. He or she may do this by discouraging spending time with loved ones or by reinforcing the sense of a special bond between him or her and the child.
  4. Boundary exploration: the abuser gradually introduces sexual topics into conversations, testing the child’s reactions and pushing the child’s comfort limits. This may include talking about sexuality, sending pornographic content or asking for intimate photos.
  5. Control and manipulation: the perpetrator begins to manipulate the child, using psychological techniques such as emotional blackmail, threats or promises. The goal is to gain complete control over the child and force him or her to engage in sexual behavior.
Searching for victims
Photo. Nick Fancher

The signs of grooming can be subtle, but there are a few warning signs to look out for:

  1. Behavior change: The child may become more secretive, avoid talking about new acquaintances, and spend more time online, often in secret from adults.
  2. Social isolation: the child may start avoiding gatherings with family and friends, spending more and more time with the person who is the perpetrator of grooming.
  3. Mood volatility: Sudden changes in mood, emotional outbursts, sadness or depression, may be a sign that the child is experiencing difficulties that he or she cannot explain.
  4. Gifts and money: a child may receive gifts, money or other items of value from a person whose identity is unclear to the parents.
  5. Increased interest in sexual topics: A child may begin to talk about sexual topics in ways that are inappropriate for his or her age, which may suggest that he or she has been exposed to such content by the perpetrator.
  6. Secrets: A child may have secrets that he or she does not want to reveal to parents or guardians, especially about his or her online activities.

How to fight grooming?

Combating grooming requires a multifaceted approach, involving various sectors of society, including parents, teachers, educational institutions, non-profit organizations and law enforcement agencies. Here is a detailed action plan that can be taken to prevent and combat grooming:

Education and public awareness: organize nationwide awareness campaigns on the dangers of grooming. These can include TV spots, social media ads, posters in public places and brochures distributed in schools. It is important to impart knowledge about the mechanisms of groomers, warning signs and ways to protect themselves. Children and teenagers should be educated from an early age about safe use of the Internet. Schools can introduce special educational programs to teach how to recognize and respond to dangerous situations online. Parents should be informed about the dangers of grooming and sensitized to warning signs. Workshops, seminars and meetings with experts can help build their awareness and skills in protecting children.

Technology and protection tools: Introducing advanced parental control tools to monitor children’s online activities. These applications can block access to inappropriate content and allow parents to track who their children are talking to online. Work with technology companies to develop and implement algorithms that detect suspicious online behavior. Social media platforms and instant messaging should have built-in mechanisms to report and block suspicious users.

Law and enforcement: Strengthen laws to protect children from online sexual abuse. Introduce harsher penalties for grooming perpetrators and mandatory registration and monitoring of sex offenders. Training law enforcement to identify and prosecute grooming cases. International cooperation is key, as groomers often operate beyond the borders of a single country. Strengthen cooperation between police, NGOs and technology companies. Creating special units to combat online sex crimes and introducing rapid response systems for reports.

Victim Support: Provide easy access to psychological and legal assistance for grooming victims and their families. Non-profit organizations can play a key role by offering support lines, support groups and specialized therapies. Campaigns to destigmatize victims of sex crimes to encourage them to seek help and report crimes. Creating support programs for parents and caregivers who may feel helpless in the face of the dangers of grooming.

Groomer
Photo. Getty Images

Community and cooperation: Engaging local communities in the fight against grooming. Organizing workshops, meetings and educational events in schools, youth clubs and other public places. Encouraging cooperation between different sectors of society, including schools, NGOs, technology companies and law enforcement agencies. Promoting responsible online behavior and supporting initiatives to build safe online communities.

Combating grooming is a task that requires an integrated and comprehensive approach. It is crucial that all parties involved work together, sharing knowledge and resources, to effectively protect children and young people from this serious threat.

Statistics on grooming

In recent years, the problem of grooming, or online grooming of children, has become one of the main threats to young users of cyberspace. A research team from the Scientific and Academic Computer Network (NASK) and the Justice Institute, analyzed 220 criminal cases from 2020-2022 that involved crimes committed in cyberspace, with minors as victims. The study included data from 52 courts in Poland, which gives a broad picture of the scale and nature of these crimes.

Results of the analysis

Of the 220 cases analyzed, the largest number, 95, involved grooming. This shows that online grooming is the most common crime in this category. The remaining cases were distributed as follows:

  • 77 cases involved possession of pornographic content involving minors.
  • 59 cases were related to the distribution of this content.
  • 50 cases involved the presentation of pornographic content to minors.

Justice

The results of the analysis regarding court decisions in these cases are equally important:

  • 193 cases resulted in convictions, indicating the high efficiency of law enforcement agencies and courts in bringing perpetrators to justice.
  • Nineteen cases ended in warrant judgments. Injunctive judgments are a simplified form of judicial decision, which usually means that the evidence was strong enough for a verdict without a full trial.
  • 6 cases were discontinued, which may indicate insufficient evidence or other legal obstacles.
  • 2 cases ended with the acquittal of the defendants.
Threats in cyberspace
Photo. Getty Images

Conclusions and recommendations

The NASK and Justice Institute study points to several key findings and recommendations:

  1. Education and awareness: It is necessary to increase public awareness of the dangers of grooming. Education of children, parents, teachers and communities, can make a significant contribution to preventing these crimes.
  2. Technology and monitoring: The introduction and development of technological tools to monitor online activity, can help detect and prevent grooming. Systems that control and analyze content and user behavior online can be the first line of defense.
  3. International cooperation: Grooming is often cross-border in nature, so international cooperation between law enforcement agencies, NGOs and technology companies, is key to combating the problem.
  4. Support for victims: Providing psychological and legal support for grooming victims is essential. Non-profit organizations and government institutions should offer support lines, support groups and specialized therapies for victims and their families.
  5. Stricter penalties: Introducing harsher penalties for perpetrators of grooming and other sexual crimes involving minors could act as a deterrent and reduce the number of such crimes.
  6. Research and monitoring: Continued research and monitoring of grooming crimes is key to understanding its dynamics and effectively combating it. Regular reports and analysis can help adjust prevention strategies and respond to new threats.

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