It has come to our attention that there have been accusations of grooming in the One Direction fandom.
We have no means to determine the truthfulness of the accusations made, but we do take this very seriously and think that in order not to silence victims and offer them a safe space, it’s important to operate on a believe-the-victim-basis.
We would like to say that we cannot accept, or excuse grooming of any kind.
That is why we want our followers and participants to know very clearly what grooming is, what they can do to prevent it, and how they can report it.
Grooming is the process whereby an adult approaches and manipulates a child / young person with a view to sexual contact. Groomers usually work very manipulatively and take the time carefully to win the trust and build a bond. Gradually, it stimulates sexual acts. Grooming can lead to abuse, both online (eg via webcam, instant messaging, e-mail) and offline (via a physical meeting). The groomer can also create or distribute visual material, making the child a victim again. Groomers win the trust by playing the understanding friend and giving compliments. That way they try to talk to victims out of their clothes.
Recently, grooming has become a criminal offense in a growing number of countries, even if it only happens online. In addition, elements that often form part of the grooming process such as stalking, sexual harassment and sexual offenses are also criminal offenses in most countries. The making, storage and dissemination of sexual images of minors fall under legislation on child pornography.
What can you do if you are a victim of grooming?
As a victim of grooming or as someone close to the victim, you can file a complaint with the local police in your neighborhood. In order for the police to investigate the case, evidence is important: e-mail traffic, chat conversations with time and date, text messages, photos, etc.
The psychological consequences of grooming should certainly not be underestimated. In addition to the physical abuse, the trust and self-confidence of the victim is often also badly violated. Psychological help may therefore be necessary.
If you have any questions about grooming or if you were confronted with it, try to contact a child helpline. They are there to help you!
Teenagers and adolescents who get their first feelings of love often experiment, both online and offline. Completely normal, healthy even!
Through social networking sites or online dating applications (such as Tinder) you can come into contact with a potentially new lover. These exciting experiences online are part of experimental behavior.
Although it does not seem like a good idea to make a physical appointment with a complete stranger, it may be helpful to go through the tips in the next section. The following guidelines come in handy to learn more about the do’s and don'ts when it comes to online meetings.
How do you find out whether someone has bad intentions? What is a suspicious chatter?
- Someone who wants to keep your chat friendship secret: “Do not tell anyone about me. This is our secret. ”
- Someone trying to find your name, address and phone number: “I’ll send you a nice surprise if you give me your address.”
- Someone who tries to persuade you or continues to insist: “Why can not I know your password? Do not you trust me?”
- Someone who tries to force you to do certain things: “I have your IP address, so I know where you live.” Know that an IP address (the license plate of your PC) cannot simply be traced back to a person or address. Only the police can do that.
- Grooming: Groomers are seductive strangers with whom you have been chatting for a long time and who sense when you feel insecure and need support. They win your trust by playing the understanding friend and by giving you compliments. In this way they try to talk you out of your clothes.
- Fake model scouts: people who are supposedly looking for new fashion models. They ask you to (partially) undress before the webcam, in order to see if you are suitable for modeling work. A real modeling agency would never recruit in this way via the internet!
Prevention and media literacy for parents
As a parent, you can take preventive action by talking to your child about how it best behaves and profiles itself online. With media education and an open dialogue, there is less chance of online grooming or bad experiences.
- Discuss the phenomenon of grooming with your child. Explain what it is and point out the manipulative character of the perpetrator and his or her activities.
- Warn them about the risks of a face to face meeting. If they still want to meet, they should take someone with them and best do it in a public place where there are many people.
- Teach them to say ‘no’ and to click away when someone ‘approaches’ them in a way they do not like.
- Tell them to talk to someone (you for example) if they have seen or experienced something that makes them feel uncomfortable.
- Agree that they do not post pictures and videos on the internet, which they might later regret, or which can be interpreted as a sexual invitation. Dissuade them from using sexually suggestive nicknames or e-mail addresses.
- Explain to them why they should never give phone numbers and addresses to strangers.
- Make sure you that, every once in a while when your child goes online, you are in the neigborhood. Sitting on the couch with the tablet or smartphone? Totally fine! Only online when alone in their room? Not such a good idea.
Do you feel that something is not right and that the person is too good to be true? Then it is probably the case …
Additional tip for fans under 18:
- Do not lie about your age in your social media profile – that way potential groomers can never say “I had no idea about the age”.
Additional tip for fans above 18:
- If you have sexually explicit content on your Tumblr blog, set the Tumblr setting to “explicit”
- Establish someone’s age before approaching them in a romantic or sexual way
No means no. We shouldn’t be reminding anyone of this cause it’s a no brainer.
On child pornography: report it don’t ignore it
Posession of sexual images of people under 18 is child pornography and punishable in most countries. If you see it, report it to the relevant authorities.
Here is some information about the process for that: http://childfocus.be/en/what-is-the-procedure-abroad
Here is the international network where you can report it: http://www.inhope.org/gns/home.aspx
LIST OF CHILD HELPLINES WORLDWIDE
https://www.childhelplineinternational.org/child-helplines/child-helpline-network/
https://www.nspcc.org.uk/preventing-abuse/child-abuse-and-neglect/grooming/
https://internetsafety101.org/grooming
https://www.cybertip.ca/app/en/
If you have useful links to add, please contact us and we’ll add them on.
