YOUTH ZONE

What does CSE – Child Sexual Exploitation actually mean ?

Someone using/taking advantage of a young person for sexual activities, this includes sending nudes.

Grooming
Grooming is when someone older than you gets in your head, gains your trust and then takes advantage of you. They encourage you to take risks (dangers) and make you think that it’s normal.

Some young people know a bit about what grooming is and can explain what can happen to you if you are groomed, for example be taken advantage of.

There is a process groomers use to take advantage and control young people. It’s called the grooming line.

There are 4 stages, they don’t just grab you and start abusing you. It takes time so it’s really important that you know about the grooming line so you can spot the signs and stop something before it starts.

Target Stage

This is where the groomer will find a young person who they think can be groomed. One place the groomers find young people  is online, that’s why adults tell you not to add people you don’t know.

Friendship stage

In this stage they will gain your trust and become your friend by listening to you, making you feel like they understand you and no one else does. They might buy you stuff like food, clothes, cigs etc.

“LOVING” Relationship

Now you think you’re in love, but that’s the groomers plan. They want you to feel like they are your everything. That way they can get you to do what they want, like have sex, take drugs and isolate yourself from the people that care about you, the people who will tell you that the relationship is unhealthy.

Abusive relationship

This is where the groomer uses everything against you to make you stay in an abusive relationship with them or/and make you have sex with their friends. They know everything about you so they know exactly what to say to get you to do things you don’t really wanna do.