The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children along with NetSmartz has provided the following information about compliant victimization. Watch this video to learn how offenders manipulate and “groom” children and how to protect your child from victimization: http://www.netsmartz.org/safety/videos/dr-victimization.htm
“Online predators are willing to spend however long it takes to entice your child to comply with their wishes and possibly even leave your home to meet with them in person. Many predators use the guise of understanding and romance to entice your child into what may result in a kidnapping or abduction, a sexual assault, pornography production of a minor, or even worse.” Dr. Sharon Cooper
* Online offenders are manipulative, cunning, and very patient con artists. They understand the wants and needs of teens such as attention, affection, and companionship. They “groom” your child to trust and believe in them.
* Online grooming entails gifts, such as cell phones with cameras, webcams, money, mp3 players, trips, or anything that teens may want but can’t afford. Many of these gifts and devices are for the purpose of encouraging teens to take, produce, and transmit sexually explicit images of themselves.
* Research has revealed that the outcome of an offline meeting will almost always be a sexual encounter.
* Adults have a different knowledge and powerbase than children. The law states clearly that minors are incapable of consenting to sexual contact. Therefore, no matter how complacent the minor appears regarding the sexual contact, consent of the minor is no defense for sexual contact with the adult. It is always illegal to have sexual contact with a minor.
I know we all get sick of talking about this. On-line dangers pose one more threat to our children. It’s just one more thing that we have to be vigilant about. But – it’s so worth it!
The Internet is a world all of it’s own. We wouldn’t think of sending our kids out the door to a bad part of town or to an X-Rated movie – but this is what they can encounter in seconds on the Internet. It used to be that the home was a protected place – a sanctuary from the world. Not anymore. We can get and do get the most vile things the world has to offer running through the cables, funneled directly into our homes.
So what can we do? I think we need to communicate – and we need communicate often. Our kids are constantly hearing the “world’s” voice – now we need to speak up and be heard too. Our kids need to know where we stand. They need to know boundaries. They need to know what is acceptable and unacceptable behaviors. They also need to know that we love them and that they can come to us anytime with any concern. Open communication is the key! Good luck.
-Jenny