While it's not always easy to identify a potential perpetrator, there are specific tactics that a perpertrator will use to groom a child.īuilding trust is a foundational part of any relationship, including relationships between children and adults who provide positive mentorship and support. In some instances, like in religious organizations, sports programs, or other institutions with hierarchies, they may hold titles or authorities that place them in a position of power and respect within the community. To this end, groomers may present themselves as charming, charismatic, reliable, and trustworthy. This may also involve grooming-or gaining trust from-the child’s family, neighbors, and other adults who may, in the groomer’s mind, pose a barrier to getting close to the child. ![]() Whatever role the individual already has in a child’s life, they will oftentimes employ grooming behaviors to gain further access to the child. They may be someone the family knows through an organization or youth activity, such as a church leader, a music instructor, a soccer coach, a camp counselor, or a school teacher. They may be an acquaintance, a trusted family friend, a neighbor, a babysitter, or even a relative. Often, individuals who attempt these behaviors are already known to the family and a part of the child’s life. Grooming involves specific behaviors that are intended to prime a child for sexual abuse. It may be helpful to learn more specifics about how you can protect LGBTQ+ youth from being victimized. Additionally, when a child is afraid to open up to their parents about their sexuality, a perpetrator can weaponize that secret to isolate the child further and prevent them from seeking help. A perpetrator may exploit this vulnerability and seek to convince the youth that they are the only one who will ever understand and accept them. 7 The fear, uncertainty, shame, and ostracism an LGBTQ+ youth may experience can contribute to feeling like an outsider with no emotional support. 6 They are also at a higher risk of experiencing various forms of abuse online, including sexualized bullying, sextortion, and unwanted sexual advances. In fact, LGBTQ+ you are nearly four times as likely as their peers to experience child sexual abuse. ![]() Children who identify as LGBTQ+ or are in the process of understanding their sexual and/or gender identity can be at risk of feeling socially isolated and alienated from their peers.
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