It is a concerning fact that many sexual predators continue to get away with what they do for years on end without being detected.

This is a great surprise to many people and it is generally because of “grooming”. The grooming process is not only intended to con children into obedience to their abuser but also to make the disclosure of the abuse less likely and/or less believable. On many occasions, the victim’s parents are “groomed” as well as the victim.

Child abusers are often experts at covering their tracks. So, to help prevent abuse, we need to raise awareness of the grooming process so that more adults and children understand the strategies used.

Following are some ways to identify grooming tendencies so that you can raise the alarm early on if things don’t seem right.

Learn More  → Warning Signs of Sexual Grooming in Pennsylvania

One of the main reasons why the grooming process is so difficult to detect for parents is that it works incrementally. It is designed that way. Groomers are smart manipulators and skilled at covering their tracks.

Sexual predators aim to get what they want at all costs, gradually developing fear, isolation, power, and silence in victims. They methodically build trust with a child and the adults around them to gain increased access and time alone with their prey.

From the very first meeting, a groomer may be preparing a victim for abuse using this tried and tested pattern of behavior.

Parents are faced with the difficult task of trying to recognize this pattern and also the behavioral traits of their child.

There is no one set “grooming process” but most strategies used by sexual predators have similar characteristics — and virtually all have the end goal of abuse with little regard for the victim.

Typically, we see the following five phases in grooming a child:

Remember, skilled predators look for any advantage to increasing their chances of successfully abusing children without getting caught. So, as well as gaining access to their prey, they need to cover their tracks and take actions to reduce the likelihood of disclosure or the children being believed if they do speak up.

Many predators are charming and act reassuringly to the family of the victim. Few are the archetypal “creeps” we envisage. Parents are often genuinely stunned when they find out the truth years later. But many also think back and say “well, that did seem strange at the time but he seemed so likeable and trustworthy”.

This suggests that there are always warning signs that we should be cognizant of — not just parents but all adults who frequently spend time around children.

It is challenging to spot a groomer from appearances and behavior alone. Predators come from all races, occupations, and relationships with the child although the overwhelming majority tend to be male.

They prey on both boys and girls and many tend to work in professions with ready access to vulnerable people, such as schools, care centers, youth organizations, religious organizations, and so on.

We’ve all heard of many disturbing sexual abuse cases in institutions that most Americans used to consider among the most upstanding in the country, such as the Boy Scouts of America and the Catholic Church.

We have learnt in recent years that anyone in any walk of life can be deceitful enough to become a groomer if they take a wrong turn in life. That’s why we need to be on the lookout for the danger signs.

Without living in a state of constant paranoia, parents can and should take some sensible measures to protect children from abuse.

Most importantly, spending time with and talking to your children regularly will help them trust and confide in you and help you recognize any worrying personality changes.

Other measures include:

You also need to educate yourself about grooming— and you’ve taken the first step by reading this blog post.

Becoming more knowledgeable about the grooming process, recognizing the warning signs early on and educating your children about abuse can help protect them from sexual predators.

If you have concerns over a child being groomed, the child sexual abuse lawyers at Andreozzi & Foote, PC offer a free and confidential consultation.