Grooming

What is grooming?

Grooming is the term used to describe the process a sex offender goes through to select and prepare a child for sexual abuse.

It is often very subtle, which enables abuse to go undetected. They gain access to children and get the opportunity to abuse them without being identified as a sex offender.

The offender will try to develop trust with the child by sharing feelings and secrets and may buy small gifts for the child, which they will be told to keep secret.

Once the offender has developed a relationship with the child, they will move on to control and touch the child.

Children find it very difficult to report abuse. Many paedophiles gain access to the child through their parents, developing trusting relationships that mean the parents feel their children are in safe company when left alone with the offender.

Grooming over the Internet

Offenders use many of the same techniques when grooming online to gain access to children and develop a sexual relationship. They are also able to pretend to be a child of any age, sex or appearance with the same hobbies in order to trick a child into meeting them.