From the VictimFocus Blog: “Over the past 10 years or so, there has been increasing interest in teaching children and women to ‘spot the signs’ of grooming. This article will explain why this approach doesn’t work, and why grooming should be reframed as a common, normal human behaviour that we all engage in . . .
My key points will be:
1. We have defined ‘grooming’ to be too narrow
2. Grooming happens constantly, to all of us, and by all of us
3. Professionals are expert groomers
4. Victims of abuse need to know that grooming is common and constant
5. Grooming is hard to ‘spot’ because we are all socialised to accept grooming in everyday life – it is unfair to expect women and children to be able to do this.”