Att forsta online grooming : Barnens utsatthet av grooming och forovarnas groomingstrategier
Year: 2023
Type: dissertation
Abstract: Grooming is a well-known social problem in today's society. It has been studied by researchers and therefore is it neither new nor restricted to the offline grooming happening out in the open. The online grooming is a much more detailed, and well-planned method to get in contact with the younger generation and achieve sexual gratification from them. The sex offenders tend to misuse the anonymity and accessibility that the internet offers and use it as a tool of crime to satisfy their needs and thus befriend minors to groom them and sexually exploit them. The aim of this report is to systematically examine and compile the research that exists within the problem area of online grooming in terms of grooming strategies used by the offenders to get in contact with children for sexual purposes. The intention is then to examine the consequences that these actions can have on the victims. By doing a scientific literature search, I aim to broaden the knowledge about grooming and point out how common it is, which is why we should pay more attention to the children all around us. The results indicate that the offenders use several different methods and strategies to lure and manipulate children into sexual encounters including enticements and sweet-talk, coercion and pressure, secrecy and isolation as well as threats and violence. These methods aren't in order and can be used simultaneously while getting close to the victim. The victims, who are mostly adolescents, are curious and vulnerable due to their young age, lack of experience, and need of attention and independence which is why they are further accessible to the offenders. Since they are the stage of their lives where they are exploring their own identity and sexual orientation, they are further exposed and defenseless, which makes them the ideal victim in the offenders’ eyes. Therefore, the consequences of these strategies involved to coerce the child are harmful and long lasting. Some may experience psychological effects such as depression and posttraumatic stressyndrome (PTSD), while others turn to self-harming and suicide attempts. Further consequences presented are that children grow up and instead choose to sell their bodies as a form of self-harm mechanism to numb themselves of the pain they're feeling.
Author: Azizi, Zahra
Institution: Malmö University
Language: English
Subfield: Clinical Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7036070032