Child grooming

Grooming a child is befriending a child, often in the negative context of lowering the inhibitions of the child to sexual behavior with the other person; in addition to acts which by themselves are legal, grooming may include showing pornography to the child, perhaps even child pornography. The type of pornography may be such as to arouse the child, and/or an example of what the other person desires, to give the child the impression that the depicted acts are normal.

One form of grooming is "internet grooming" or "online grooming", i.e. nurturing an internet friendship, e.g. through online chat, possibly resulting later in real life contact. Again, the term is often used in the negative context mentioned above. In 2003 MSN Chat was restricted to better protect children from inappropriate communication online.

The Sexual Offences Act 2003, section 15 [1] for the UK except Scotland (and the proposed Protection of Children and Prevention of Sexual Offences (Scotland) Bill) make it an offence for an adult, after having met or communicated with a child on at least two earlier occasions, to meet, or travel to meet, the child with the intention of sexually abusing him or her on that occasion or later.

Thus a crime may be committed even without a meeting actually taking place and without the child even being involved in the meeting, e.g. if a police officer has taken over the contact and pretends being the child.

Some online activities with a child are a crime by themselves, e.g. disseminating pornography to a minor, sexually displaying oneself with a webcam, or asking the child to do that.

An alternative, one-way communication in which someone can get to know a child, is following a child's moblog. Children are warned against this.

See also

• cybersex

External link

• Cyber Stalking, Abusive Cyber Sex And Online Grooming: A Programme Of Education For Teenagers. " Cyberspace Research Unit (2004)