Grooming Behaviors and Tactics Flashcards

What does 'victim selection' in the grooming process typically involve?

Answer: Identifying vulnerable children who may lack strong support systems or parental oversight

Groomers often target children who appear isolated, lonely, or lacking strong parental oversight because these youth may be more responsive to attention and less likely to disclose.

Which grooming tactic involves gradually exposing a child to sexual content or behavior to make it seem normal and acceptable?

Answer: Normalization and desensitization

Normalization or desensitization is the deliberate process of slowly exposing a child to sexual content or conduct so the child comes to view it as normal.

A youth program leader who consistently arranges solo outings with one participant and asks the youth to keep their activities secret from others may be:

Answer: Exhibiting grooming behaviors by creating secrecy and isolation

Creating secrecy around activities with a child and isolating them from peers, guardians, and colleagues are recognized warning signs of grooming behavior.

Why do groomers often invest significant time building relationships with a child's parents or guardians?

Answer: To gain the family's trust and reduce suspicion about their access to and time spent with the child

By earning the trust of parents and guardians, groomers reduce adult oversight and make it significantly easier to access the child without raising suspicion.

Which of the following statements about grooming is TRUE?

Answer: Grooming can be carried out by trusted individuals as well as strangers

Grooming is frequently carried out by people known and trusted by the child — including coaches, family friends, leaders, and relatives — not only by strangers.

In the grooming process, 'trust building' refers to:

Answer: An abuser deliberately cultivating a caring relationship with a child and caregivers to gain access and lower their defenses

Trust building in grooming involves an abuser intentionally forming a reliable, caring relationship to lower a child's and family's defenses and create opportunities for abuse.

How do grooming behaviors typically progress over the course of time?

Answer: They escalate gradually from seemingly innocent behaviors to more serious boundary violations

Grooming is a gradual process that begins with low-level, seemingly harmless behaviors and slowly escalates to more serious violations, making it difficult to detect in real time.