A Comparison of Victim and Offender Perspectives of Grooming and Sexual Abuse

In order to maintain victims' engagement and ensure continuous interactions, individuals often altered aspects of their online identity/persona.

“In order to maintain victims' engagement, and ensure continuous interactions, individuals often altered aspects of their online identity/persona: 'I don't think there's one thing that he said back then that I know now, that was actually the truth.' (Whittle et al., 2015, p. 17).”

In four included articles, individuals were seen to establish an exclusive relationship with the victim in order to maintain their engagement.

“In four of the included articles, individuals were seen to establish an exclusive relationship with the victim in order to maintain their engagement (De Santisteban etal., 2018; Kloess etal., 2017, 2019; Whittle etal., 2015).”

In Whittle et al.'s dyadic study, victims as young as 12-14 years old experienced romantic feelings that were not shared by the much-older offenders, aged 20-49.

“This was observed in Whittle et al.'s (2015) dyadic study of the dynamics in grooming relationships, in which victims as young as 12-14 years old experienced romantic feelings that were not shared by the much-older offenders, aged 20-49.”

Young people usually enter into relationships with the perpetrator unaware of their grooming intentions.

“As young people usually enter into relationships with the perpetrator unaware of their grooming intentions (Whittle, 2015), a deliberate decision was made to avoid framing the research question around 'the grooming process' in order to deliver an analysis more aligned with the victim's perspective.”

Flattery created a sense of an intimate and special bond, allowing the individual to establish themselves as a kind and loving figure in victims' lives.

“This strategy created a sense of an intimate and special bond, allowing the individual to establish themselves as a kind and loving figure in victims' lives: 'It was mainly like everything a girl would like to hear, like you're beautiful, um you deserve good things and I can do all that for you.' (Whittle etal., 2015, p. 14).”

In three articles, individuals were reported to make 'false' promises to victims as a way of maintaining ongoing engagement, for example, of a typical romantic relationship.

“False Promises. In three articles, individuals were further reported to make 'false' promises to victims as a way of maintaining ongoing engagement (Powell etal., 2021; Seymour-Smith & Kloess, 2021; Whittle etal., 2015), for example, of a typical romantic relationship: 'We could date as boyfriend and girlfriend.' (Powell etal., 2021), swiftly followed by requests for”

Some young people might view cybergrooming situations as genuine relationships.

“Some young people might even view cybergrooming situations as genuine relationships (Whittle et al., 2015).”

In an attempt to incite victims, individuals also exposed themselves and engaged in masturbation.

“In an attempt to incite victims, individuals also exposed themselves and engaged in masturbation (Kloess et al., 2019; Shannon, 2008; Whittle etal., 2015).”