User:Denaar/sandbox2 - Wikipedia

Grooming is a process that predators use to gain trust of a target for exploitation, which can be sexual, financial, or criminal.^[1] Sometimes the term is applied to family, friends, and associates of the target.^[1] It can be used to describe recruitment strategies for gang membership or terrorist activity.^[1] It's most commonly associated with child sexual abuse.^[1]

Grooming was first used to describe the preparation and cleaning of horses in the early 19th century, and later to people, to be "well groomed".^[2] By the late 19th century it had come to have a meaning of mentorship, coaching, or preparing someone for leadership.^[2][3]

From 1975 to 1985, law enforcement in the United States became increasingly aware of child sexual abuse cases where children were manipulated with a "combination of attention, affection, kindness, gifts, alcohol, drugs, money, and privileges".^[4] By the 1990's, the term grooming began to replace seduction as the most commonly used term for these cases.^[4]

A 2008 BBC report stated that "grooming" had taken on a pejorative meaning; no longer associated with animal care or mentoring, it had become associated with pedophiles and pedophilia and the definition "to win the confidence of (a victim) in order to a commit sexual assault on him or her" became mainstream.^[3] Other common uses of the term "groom" also had negative connotations, such as "groomed for terrorism" or "groomed to become suicide bombers".^[3]

The term 'grooming gangs' became part of both popular and political discourse in the United Kingdom to describe a series of child and adolescent sexual exploitation cases had wide media coverage in the UK,^[5] while localised grooming and group localised grooming are used in academic sources.^[6]

The term OK groomer became a meme in 2019 when Youtube influencer Onision was accused of using his platform to exploit underage followers, and his behavior toward adolescents was widely described as grooming.^[7][8]

After the passing of the Florida’s Parental Rights in Education law, which regulates education for Kindergarden through 3rd graders, American conservatives began to refer to education that pushes children to question their gender identity as 'grooming'.^[9] Terry Schilling, president of the conservative American Principles Project, acknowledged there were multiple meanings for the word.^[9] He said "This is obviously not the type of grooming where you’re preparing them to be molested or raped by their teacher, but you are grooming them in shaping them in their sexual nature before they’re sexual beings". ^[9] A GLAAD spokesperson called it a "smear" against LGBTQ people, claiming it's a reference to acquired homosexuality, the controversial idea that homosexuality can be caused by "recruitment" or sexual seduction of younger, sexually naive individuals.^[10]

Grooming is usually used to describe methods of earning someone's trust.

Sexual Grooming is used to describe non-violent, friendly means of connecting with a child, adolescents, or vulnerable adult for sexual exploitation.^[11] It's most commonly associated with children.Cite error: A <ref> tag is missing the closing </ref> (see the help page).

Grooming Gangs is a sensationalist term used to describe a series of group-based child and adolescent sexual exploitation cases in the UK. These cases received significant media coverage and criticism.

In January 2011, The Times ran a sensational story about 'sex gangs', using the term 'on-street grooming' to describe a series of child sexual exploitation cases in the UK.^[5] The term 'grooming gangs' became part of both popular and political discourse^[5] and is used to describe the Rotherham child sexual exploitation scandal, the Rochdale child sex abuse ring, and the Halifax child sex abuse ring.^[12][13]

Other cases include the Derby child sex abuse ring, Oxford_child_sex_abuse_ring, Newcastle sex abuse ring, Huddersfield grooming gang, and Telford child sexual exploitation scandal.