California Takes Aim at Grooming in Schools
A Step Forward in Grooming Prevention What Parents & Survivors Need to Know Children spend most of their waking hours in school, and we entrust schools to keep them safe. But in recent years, we’ve seen too many headlines about teachers, coaches, and other trusted staff using their positions of power to groom and abuse […]
What Is Grooming in Sexual Abuse?
So, grooming is when a perpetrator gains trust from their victim. They want the victim to become comfortable with them. They want to make sure that a victim will keep secrets, and they just continue to push the boundaries of what is acceptable inappropriate behavior. They try to normalize just slowly. Sometimes it can be favors, you know, gifts that the perpetrator […]
The Grooming Process — How Sexual Predators Con You and Your Child
On This Page What Are The “Red Flags” With Grooming A Child? Other Potential Signs Of Grooming For Abuse Grooming Of Those Closest To The Victim Why Do Abusers Groom Their Victims? Who Is A Typical “Groomer”? Examples Of Grooming Behaviors Online Sexual Grooming Examples Of Grooming Behaviors Long-Term Effects Of Grooming How Can You […]
California’s New School-Safety Law and Misconduct Database
California just enacted a sweeping K-12 safety law that finally treats educator sexual misconduct like the systemic problem it is. The law, championed by Sen. Sasha Renée Pérez and signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom, requires statewide prevention training, tighter reporting, and crucially a centralized database of school-employee misconduct. This prevents districts from quietly letting a problem […]
Safeguarding Kids in Online Gaming Worlds
As a parent of a 10-year-old boy who absolutely loves gaming, I’ve watched with delight as he builds worlds, teams up with friends, and explores digital spaces. But along with the fun comes real risk. In recent years, predators have infiltrated gaming communities using in-game chat, voice, and private messaging to groom children, exploit vulnerabilities, […]
Sexual Abuse on the Rise | Ben Andreozzi Discusses Increasing Cases
Incidents of sexual abuse have been going on for decades. And while many think that sexual abuse is on the rise, the reality is that reporting has improved, and our understanding of sexual abuse issues has evolved. In particular, years ago, we thought that the perpetrators of abuse were strangers. In reality, we now know […]
CA Is Investigating Survivors for Fraud.
A new motion in Los Angeles County calls for investigating alleged fraud in childhood sexual abuse lawsuits. I understand the impulse to protect public dollars. But if we’re not careful, this kind of sweeping “fraud” narrative becomes a blunt tool that chills reporting, undermines legitimate claims, and retraumatizes survivors who have already waited too long […]
Employee at San Jacinto Youth Facility, Antoine Christopher Sims, Charged in Child Sexual Abuse Case
Image sources: Booking photo of Antoine Christopher Sims, courtesy of Riverside County Sheriff. Google Street View of the Robert Presley Detention Center, © Google, via Google Maps. Antoine Christopher Sims, 31, an employee at a licensed residential treatment facility for children in San Jacinto, CA, has been arrested and charged with multiple child sexual abuse […]
Victim’s law firm calls on survivors to come forward as former youth pastor Thomas “Tommy” Pinkerton faces sexual abuse charges
Image sources: Thomas Pinkerton, courtesy of the Baltimore County Police Department. Google Street View of Central Christian in Baltimore, MD, © Google, via Google Maps. BALTIMORE, MD — September 5th, 2025 — A prominent law firm known for representing survivors of sexual abuse is speaking out after former youth pastor Thomas “Tommy” Pinkerton Jr. was indicted […]
Former Sun Prairie West High Dean, Robert Gilkey-Meisegeier, Faces Trial for Child Sex Crimes
Image sources: Robert Edward Gilkey-Meisegeier, via Dane County Sheriff’s Office. Sun Prairie West High School, via Facebook. Robert Edward Gilkey-Meisegeier, the former dean of students at Sun Prairie West High School, is facing trial on 15 felony charges for child sexual exploitation and possession of child pornography involving six confirmed child victims. According to the Sun […]