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Date: April 30, 2024 Tue
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Results for online grooming
13 results foundAuthor: Davidson, Julia Title: Online Abuse: Literature Review and Policy Context Summary: The principal aim of this review is to examine the context of online abuse by providing an overview of the relevant policy, legislation and safety practice within the European Union, focusing on case studies within the UK, Norway, Belgium and Italy to outline different attempts to educate children and young people about Internet safety issues1. An illustrative brief comparison to legislation and policy outside the EU is also provided, particularly for the USA, Australia and New Zealand where progress has been made in this area. The purpose of the review is to provide background to a scoping exercise on the current knowledge of online grooming and EU online child safety practice. This review will then inform parallel work collecting data from stakeholders on current knowledge, practice and policy on internet grooming for the sexual abuse of children. This is the first stage of an EC Safer Internet Plus Programme project to undertake the first comprehensive study of online grooming, involving the UK, Norway, Belgium and Italy. The breadth and scope of a European wide study entailed some decisions about selection of literature for review. The first decision was to focus on the European Union as opposed to the broader European continent. However, due to the awareness of the lack of geographical boundaries that online behaviour encompasses, there was an acknowledged need to reference other research in progress, for example in Russia, that sheds more light on young people’s online safety within the EU. The timescale for the review covers a period over the last five to six years – the period in which most of the research on young people and internet use has taken place. Details: European Online Grooming Project, 2011. 52p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 21, 2012 at: http://www.europeanonlinegroomingproject.com/wp-content/file-uploads/EOGP-Literature-Review.pdf Year: 2011 Country: Europe URL: http://www.europeanonlinegroomingproject.com/wp-content/file-uploads/EOGP-Literature-Review.pdf Shelf Number: 125714 Keywords: Computer CrimesInternet Child Sexual AbuseInternet CrimesInternet SafetyOnline GroomingOnline Sexual Abuse |
Author: Webster, Stephen Title: Final Report (European Online Grooming Project) Summary: The sexual abuse of young people via the Internet is an international problem, a crime without geographical boundaries. Solutions both to perpetrators’ use of the Internet and to the safety of young people online must be sought and will necessarily involve agencies working to protect young people at local, national and international levels. Action of the Safer Internet Plus programme invited proposals for projects that aim to enhance the knowledge of the online sexual abuse of young people, with a particular focus on online grooming. • Online grooming is defined as the process by which a person befriends a young person1 online to facilitate online sexual contact and/or a physical meeting with them, with the goal of committing sexual abuse. The European Online Grooming Project research consortium is comprised of experts from across Europe and was tasked with meeting the following research objectives: o describe the behaviour of both offenders who groom and young people who are ‘groomed’, o describe how information, communication technology (ICT) may facilitate online grooming, o identify how young people are selected and prepared by online groomers for abuse online, o contribute to the development of prevention initiatives aimed at parents and young people. Methods • The project had three separate but interlinked phases. The first was a scoping project that involved a literature review, review of police case files and interviews with key stakeholders. Phase 2 of the research involved in-depth interviews with 33 male offenders convicted of online grooming in the UK, Belgium and Norway. Online groomers’ chat-logs were sourced from Italy. Phase 3 encompassed twelve focus groups with young people in the UK, Belgium and Italy. The aim of these groups was to understand young people’s online behaviour in the context of the groomers’ accounts, and explore young people’s view of online risks and current safety initiatives. In addition, seven dissemination events were held with teachers, parents and professionals in Belgium, Italy, Norway and the UK in order to promulgate the key findings from the project. • This report brings together findings from the main stages of the European Online Grooming Project - the in-depth interviews with online groomers, focus groups with young people, and dissemination events with key stakeholder groups. The scoping report and literature review have been published and are available for download at the project web-site. Details: European Online Grooming Project, 2012. 172p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 23, 2012 at: http://www.natcen.ac.uk/media/843993/european-online-grooming-project-final-report.pdf Year: 2012 Country: Europe URL: http://www.natcen.ac.uk/media/843993/european-online-grooming-project-final-report.pdf Shelf Number: 125718 Keywords: Computer CrimesInternet Child Sexual AbuseInternet CrimesInternet SafetyOnline GroomingOnline Sexual Abuse |
Author: Webster, Stephen Title: Scoping Report (European Online Grooming Project) Summary: The sexual abuse of young people via the Internet is an international problem, a crime without geographical boundaries. Solutions both to perpetrators’ use of the Internet and to the safety of young people online must be sought and will necessarily involve agencies working to protect young people at local, national and international levels. The police have suggested that an increasing number of online sex offenders are grooming young people online, using online social networks and internet chat rooms. Whilst a great deal is known about sex offender behaviour and there is an increasing body of pioneering work addressing those accessing indecent child images, little is known about online groomers and the way in which they select and engage victims. • To this end, Action 3.1 of the Safer Internet Plus programme invited proposals for projects that aim to enhance the knowledge of the online sexual abuse of young people, with a particular focus on online grooming. • Following a competitive tendering exercise, the European Online Grooming Project was commissioned. The research consortium is comprised of experts from across Europe, tasked with meeting the following overarching research objectives: • describe the behaviour of both offenders who groom and young people who are ‘groomed’ and explore differences (e.g. in demographics, behaviour or profiles) within each group and how these differences may have a bearing on offence outcome, • describe how information, communication technology (ICT) is used to facilitate the process of online grooming, • further the current low knowledge base about the way in which young people are selected and prepared by online groomers for abuse online, • make a significant contribution to the development of educational awareness and preventative initiatives aimed at parents and young people. The Project has three separate but interlinked phases. The first is a scoping project, the subject of this report. The second and third phases involve interviews with convicted online groomers across Europe and dissemination to professionals, parents, carers and young people respectively. • The scoping project contained three elements, all which had the aim of maximising the potential of phase 2 and 3 of the research. As such, the scoping phase contained a review of the literature and policy context1 and a review of convicted online groomers’ police case files. The scoping phase culminated with 19 in-depth interviews with stakeholders across Europe. These professionals all had expertise in the behaviour of online groomers from either an investigative, treatment, technological or young person’s perspective. • The review of police case files and interviews with key stakeholders resulted in the development of hypothetical model of online grooming. This model, drawn on case file and stakeholder accounts will then be used as a framework to ask questions of online groomers in the next stage of the research. It is important to note that the phases of the model presented here may be subsequent to significant change following the interviews with convicted online groomers. As such, the model in this report should be viewed as a hypothetical framework for subsequent appraisal. It should not be interpreted as the definitive presentation of the process of online grooming. • The hypothetical model has nine phases that encompass: vulnerability factors; grooming style; preparation and scanning; identity assumed 1; initial contact; identity assumed 2; desensitisation; offence maintenance and intensity; and finally, outcomes. • Evidence from stakeholder accounts suggests that some offenders may be engaging with 30 to 50 young people at different stages of the grooming process at any one time, and that offenders tend to refine their activities on the basis of what had ‘worked well’ in previous encounters with young people. Consequently, movement through different stages of the model of online grooming is neither unitary or linear, but rather, cyclical, involving a pattern of adoption, maintenance, relapse, and readoption over time. • It was also evident that the actual process of online grooming may take minutes, hours, days or months. As such, online groomers remain at different phases of the model for various lengths of time according to a dynamic inter-relationship between their goals and needs and the style or reactions of the young person. • In order to explain as well as describe online grooming, this report suggests that online grooming may be set within the context of three existing theories within forensic and social psychology. The first is Ward and Hudson’s (1998) self-regulation model of the sexual offence process. The central premise of Ward and Hudson’s theory is that different self-regulation styles, the internal and external processes that allow an individual to engage in goal-related behaviour, underpin the sexual offence process. The second is Suler’s (2004) theory of the online disinhibiton effect. This framework contains three dimensions that may also help develop understanding of online groomers’ behaviour: dissociative anonymity; invisibility and dissociative imaginationimagination. Finally, the theory of deindividuation (Zimbardo, 1969) proposes that factors such as anonymity, loss of individual responsibility, arousal and sensory overload contribute to a state of deindividuation and behavioral disinhibition where established norms of conduct may be violated. • It is important for all research to have an applied focus but even more so for this project, where the need for robust evidence is acute and the public safety message is clear. As such, stakeholders identified four core needs for the European Online Grooming Report. To provide strategies to aid detection and interviewing; further understanding regarding assessment and treatment needs; to raise awareness across the key groups outlined above; and finally, to avoid demonising the Internet per se. Details: European Online Grooming Project, 2010. 51p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 23, 2012 at: http://www.europeanonlinegroomingproject.com/wp-content/file-uploads/EOGP-Project-scoping-report.pdf Year: 2010 Country: Europe URL: http://www.europeanonlinegroomingproject.com/wp-content/file-uploads/EOGP-Project-scoping-report.pdf Shelf Number: 125742 Keywords: Computer CrimesInternet Child Sexual AbuseInternet CrimesInternet SafetyOnline GroomingOnline Sexual Abuse |
Author: Quayle, Ethel Title: Online Behaviour Related to Child Sexual Abuse: Interviews with affected Young People Summary: Most young people in Europe have access to the Internet. In a study by Livingstone et al. (2011), including 25 142 children between 9-16 years old in 25 countries in the European Union (EU), the average age for first time contact with the Internet was 9 years old. In this study 60% reported that they used the Internet on a daily basis and 33% that they used the Internet once or twice a week. Access to the Internet is not only increasing, but today many youth have their own mobile phones with internet access. In the study by Livingstone et al. (2011) 35% of the youth used their own PC, 24% their own laptop and 12% a handheld device (e.g. iPod Touch, I-phone and Blackberry) when going online. The most common activities online were doing schoolwork (85%) followed by online gaming (83%) and watching video clips (76%). Most young people are alone when using their mobile phone and the Internet (Medierådet, 2010). This differs from other media forms, e.g. watching television and playing games on the computer, that more often are done together with a friend or an adult. This means that young people most of the time are alone when surfing the net, without adults being able to supervise or to hinder the youth from possible risk taking online. Most young people seem though to be well aware of the fact that there are safe and risky behaviours connected with the use of Internet (Jonsson et al, 2009). When a child reaches adolescence it is developmentally normal to expand their social network, forming close relationships and experiencing sexuality. The Internet is accessible, anonymous and affordable (Cooper, 1998) which makes it natural to use it for sexual purposes. In a study by Daneback and Månsson (2009) nine out of ten Swedish young people, between 18-25 years old, used the Internet for romantic or sexual purposes. The most common online sexual activity was watching pornography among the boys and searching for information about sex among the girls. Many studies have shown that pornography use is greater for young males (Caroll et al, 2008; Luder et al., 2011; Svedin et al, 2011) but recent studies show that the gender differences are most apparent with older adolescents and that there are less differences between genders who are 12 years old and younger (Livingstone et al., 2011). However young people are not only passive consumers of sexual material. They also produce and distribute their own sexual material and find sexual contacts online. Online risk taking behaviour Offline risk taking behaviour such as use of drugs, smoking, not attending school and having unprotected sex are more common among adolescents than others (e.g. Benthin et al., 1993; Boyer, 2006; Steinberg, 2008). Studies indicate that young people who take risks offline also do so online (Mitchell et al, 2007a). However, different studies use varying definitions as to what online risk taking behaviour is. Baumgartner et al. (2010) limited their definition to include communication with unknown people and categorized the following behaviours as risky: - Searching online for someone to talk about sex - Searching online for someone to have sex - Sending intimate photos or videos to someone online - Disclosing personal information like telephone numbers and addresses to someone online. Most risk behaviour does not lead to any negative consequences and is more likely to be associated with positive outcomes, while other risk behaviours can result in abuse, be lifealtering or may, in extreme cases, even be a threat to life. Online risk taking behaviour has been shown to increase the likelihood of negative experiences, such as unwanted aggressive sexual solicitations online (Cooper et al., 2002; Mitchell et al., 2007b). Misuse of personal information by others is another negative consequence. Even if young people are well informed about the negative effects of, for example, taking drugs or having unprotected sex, some still go ahead. Likewise research studies, and results from clinical projects about online sexual abuse, have shown that young people often are well aware of the risks online but take them anyway (e.g. Jonsson et al., 2009; Wolak, 2007). This research addresses some of the major challenges in constructing preventative work to hinder young people from risk taking behaviours (see, for example, Denehy, 2000). There might be many explanations as to why young people take risks online. In the study by Baumgartner et al. (2010) young people’s engagement in online risky sexual behaviour was investigated in a cross-sectional study. The young people who took sexual risks online perceived that more friends were engaged in these behaviours, perceived fewer risks and more benefits from the risky sexual behaviour and felt personally less vulnerable to negative consequences than other young people. Probably most youth who take risks online estimate the risks to be less than the positive effects that might follow. Studies from clinical projects and research have shown that one primary function of online risk taking behaviour is to be seen and to receive affirmation (Jonsson et al., 2009; Jonsson & Svedin, 2012; Nigård, 2009). Details: Child Centre (The Expert Group for Cooperation on Children at Risk; ROBERT Project, EU Safer Internet Programme, 2012. 77p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 23, 2012 at: http://www.childcentre.info/robert/public/Interview_analysis_PRELIMINARY.pdf Year: 2012 Country: Europe URL: http://www.childcentre.info/robert/public/Interview_analysis_PRELIMINARY.pdf Shelf Number: 125743 Keywords: Computer CrimesInternet Child Sexual AbuseInternet CrimesInternet SafetyOnline GroomingOnline Sexual AbusePornographySocial Networking |
Author: Kolpakova, Olga, ed. Title: Online Behaviour Related to Child Sexual Abuse: Focus Groups' Findings Summary: Over the last two decades more than 200 studies have been made that focus on various aspects of child online sexual violence. The majority of the surveys highlighted the way children use Internet. According to one of the largest scale surveys – EU Kids Online survey – produced in 2010, 60% of European children aged 9 to 16 years old use the Internet on a daily basis, spending on average 88 minutes online. They do their homework, play games alone or against the computer, watch video clips online, use Internet interactively for communication (social networking, instant messaging etc.) and read/watch the news, play with others online, download films and music, share content peer-to-peer (eg, via webcam or message boards), visit chat rooms, share files, blog and spend time in a virtual world (Livingstone et al 2011). Internet accessibility, frequency and duration of use, and types of children's online activities have been the focus of studies in a number of other national surveys (Leicht & Sorensen 2011, Children… 2006, Medienpädagogischer… 2010a,b, Mainardi and Zgraggen 2010, Soldatova et al 2010, Levina et al 2011, Medierådet 2005, 2008, 2010). The more active our children are online, the greater the risks associated with Internet use. According to a number of studies, a significant number of children and young people practice behaviour which could potentially lead to negative repercussions, such as; seeking new friends online (Levina et al 2011), having contact online with someone they have never met face to face (Livingstone et al 2011), having people on “buddy lists” known only online (Ybarra et al 2007, Levina et al 2011), sending personal information to people they have never met face to face (Livingstone et al 2011, Levina et al 2011), posting personal information (Ybarra et al 2007) and sexualized images (Svedin & Priebe 2009, Daneback & Månsson 2009), posing nude (De Graaf & Vanweseenbeeck 2006) or masturbating (Svedin & Priebe 2009) in front of a web cam, sending personal information (Ybarra et al 2007, Levina et al 2011), sending or receiving sexual images (Lenhart 2009), accessing pornography (Svedin et al 2011, Wolak et al 2007, Sørensen & Kjørholt 2007, Sabina et al 2008), talking about sex online (Medieradet… 2010, Livingstone et al 2011, Ybarra et al 2007) and meeting people face to face offline who they initially made contact with on the Internet (ACPI/PROTEGELES 2002, Helweg-Larsen et al 2009, Livingstone et al 2011, Mainardi & Zgraggen 2010, Monteiro & Gomes 2009, Wojtasik 2004). In some cases such behaviour could be regarded as a form of adolescent age-appropriate social and sexual expression and curiosity, and may not always lead to negative repercussions. In other cases, however, children and adolescents have narrowly avoided danger in potentially threatening situations. Therefore, not all those interacting online with unknown people, sometimes discussing sex, have been exposed to unwanted sexual solicitations or other negative repercussions (Wolak et al 2008). Of those who reported having seen pornography online accidentally or purposefully, two of three were unaffected by the experience (Livingstone et al 2011). However, some children and young people do experience negative consequences from such behaviour. Children may feel cheated, disgusted or uncomfortable by what they have seen on pornographic websites (Livingstone et al 2011), young people may be highly distressed after incidents of solicitation (Mitchell et al 2001), in some cases children and adolescents could be pressured or threatened into having sex during offline meetings with their online acquaintances (Suseg et al 2008, Helweg-Larsen et al 2009, Levina et al 2011). Studies have shown that the Internet (Levina et al 2010), and in particular chat rooms (Briggs et al 2010, Wagner 2008) and social networking sites (Wise et al 2010), could be used by offenders who are interested either in engaging in cyber sex without any direct wish to meet in real life or in meeting offline for sex. In a number of studies individual risk factors that led to sexual abuse, were identified. Studies show that girls (Baumgartner et al 2010, Ellonen et al 2008, Mainardi and Zgraggen 2010, Mitchell et al 2007a, Wolak et al 2008), adolescents (Baumgartner et al 2010, Ellonen et al 2008, Livingstone et al 2011, Wolak et al 2004), youngsters with lower education (De Graaf and Vanwesenbeeck 2006), teenagers who identify themselves as homosexual or those with unclear sexual orientation (Wolak et al 2004) are at a higher risk of experiencing Internetrelated sexual abuse. Personal behavioural factors such as frequent Internet use (De Graaf & Vanwesenbeeck 2006, Mitchell et al 2001, Stahl and Fritz 2002, Wolak et al 2008, Ybarra et al 2004), online risk-taking behaviour (ACPI/PROTEGELES 2002, Mitchell et al 2001, Mitchell et al 2008, Stahl and Fritz 2002), and substance use (Ybarra et al 2004) may also increase the chance of a young person becoming a victim of Internet-related sexual abuse. Another group of individual risk factors is related to personal traumatic experiences and emotional situations. According to the research data, youth (especially girls) with a history of offline sexual or physical abuse (De Graaf & Vanwesenbeeck 2006, Mitchell et al 2007b, Wolak et al 2008) and youth suffering from depression (such as sadness, emptiness or concentration problems) (Ybarra et al 2004) are at greater risk of online sexual solicitation. Even though a number of researches (Kvam 2001, Sullivan & Knutson 2000, SISO & SUS 2007) have shown that children with disabilities are more often exposed to sexual abuse, it is still not clear if these children are at greater risk of online sexual violence. A group of environmental risk factors includes: single-parents or reconstituted families (e.g. Gallagher 2007), homelessness or runaways (e.g. Regional… 2008), higher household socio-economic status (Livingstone et al 2011, Mitchell et al 2003), the lack of close parental relationships (ICAA 2004, Sørensen 2007), as well as lower levels of parental control (De Graaf & Vanwesenbeeck 2006, Mitchell et al 2003). In a few studies, resilience in relation to young people’s online behaviour was specifically focused upon. It was found that young people could use a number of strategies to reduce the risks of negative repercussions when meeting online friends in real life. These included informing their parents (e.g. Livingstone et al 2011) or friends (Bauermeister et al 2010) about the meeting, arranging meetings in public places and trying to get to know an online friend better before meeting them offline (Bauermeister et al 2010). When negatively affected by online contact (sexual messages, bullying, sexual images), children could use the following strategies: hope that the problem would go away by itself, report the problem, change their filter/contact settings, delete any messages from the person or block the person, try to fix the problem, talk to someone about the problem or stop using the Internet temporarily (Livingstone at al 2011). In addition to the growing impact the role of the Internet is having on children’s lives, researchers are specifically discussing the problem of merged online/offline environments (e.g. Lansdown 2011, Levina et al 2011). The online environment provides young people with more opportunities for accessing information, self-expression, self-promotion, social role experimentation and communication. It has becoming an integral part of their life where the boundary between online and offline experiences is vanishing. At the same time, offline safety rules and behaviour patterns are not always applicable to the online environment, and children’s online activities are to a lesser extent controlled by parents. It may seems obvious that there is a need for online behaviour education; we have to teach our children safe and correct use of information and communication technologies and improve parent’s ability to effectively control the online activities of their children1. However, there are still some aspects of child online sexual violence that have not been studied sufficiently. In particular, we do not clearly understand the child’s role in establishing and developing online relations with people who may potentially harm them in the future. Do children take the initiative themselves? Do they actively seek new friends and contacts online? What is their response to unwanted approaches? How do young people identify individuals that pose a risk of online sexual violence? Do they think that they are at risk themselves? Which strategies do young people usually use to stay safe online? Do young people perceive their world as undivided or do borders between the online and offline world still exist? Are there any groups of young people who are at greater risk of online sexual violence then others (such as GLBT, young people with disabilities, young people in residential care etc.)? And if so are there any differences between these groups in how they establish agency in a virtual world, negotiate online relationships, identify risks, stay safe online and distinguish between the online and physical world? The project ROBERT, Risktaking Online Behaviour Empowerment through Research and Training, is one attempt to answer some of the above questions. This project intends to make online interaction safe for children and young people. This project is implemented from June 2010 to June 2012, and is funded by the European Commission Safer Internet Programme as a Knowledge Enhancement Project. It is managed and coordinated by the CBSS Expert Group for Cooperation on Children at risk, EGCC, in partnership with the University of Tartu (Estonia), Linköping University (Sweden), University of Edinburgh (United Kingdom), Save the Children Denmark, Save the Children Italia, Innocence in Danger (Germany), Stellit International (the Netherlands and Russia) and Kingston University (UK). As a part of the project, focus groups with young people, some of whom may be considered to be more at risk of online abuse (young people in residential care, young people that are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender and young people with some form of disability), as well as with young people from the general population were interviewed in 2011–2012 in Denmark, United Kingdom, Sweden, Estonia, Italy, Germany and Russia. The aim of the focus group interviews was to obtain qualitative information about adolescent’s online behaviour, their need to socialize, communicate and discover themselves and the world and particularly those behaviours that lead to risktaking and their possible links with sexual victimization, while examining the strategies they use to avoid victimization itself. The issues that were discussed with children and explored with focus groups could be summarized in three main thematic areas: 1) characteristics of Internet use; 2) characteristics of online communication and its impact on the life of young people; 3) staying safe online. The results obtained from the focus groups are presented in the report. The chapter “Methodological issues” includes a glossary and a brief overview of focus groups and framework analysis. Particular attention is paid to the issue of ensuring quality in qualitative research. Issues such as sampling, procedures and data analysis are described. In the chapter “Research results” five main themes which were identified across the focus groups are examined: Establishing agency in a virtual world; Negotiating online relationships; Distinguishing between in-groups and out-groups; Safety online; Delineating between merged realities. Details: Child Centre (The Expert Group for Cooperation on Children at Risk; ROBERT Project, EU Safer Internet Programme, 2012. 68p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed july 23, 2012 at: http://www.childcentre.info/robert/public/ROBERT_Focus_grups_report_wr.pdf Year: 2012 Country: Europe URL: http://www.childcentre.info/robert/public/ROBERT_Focus_grups_report_wr.pdf Shelf Number: 125744 Keywords: Computer CrimesInternet Child Sexual AbuseInternet CrimesInternet SafetyOnline GroomingOnline Sexual AbusePornographySocial Networking |
Author: Ainsaar, Mare Title: Online Behaviour Related to Child Sexual Abuse: Literature Report Summary: Young people today grow up in a technology-mediated world with almost unlimited access to games, music and film, not to mention the enormous array of contacts with other youth all over the world facilitated by the Internet. This opens tremendous possibilities that were unimaginable only half a generation ago. While such availability would uniformly be seen as positive, there are increasingly concerns about the problems access to technology might bring for young people. While the overwhelming majority of children and young people navigate safely through the Information and Communication Technologies, some children fall victim to abuse and to violence. While there is concern across different countries about online solicitation and grooming, there have been very few analyses to date that have explored how these contacts occur and what maintains these online relationships in the face of highly sexualised content. The ROBERT project intends to make online interaction safe for children and young people. This will be achieved by learning from experiences of online abuse processes and the factors that make young people vulnerable as well as those that offer protection. As part of the ROBERT project a systematic review of studies, with a specific focus on sexually abusive online experiences and offline sexual abuse that have started with an online contact or where the contacts between the perpetrator and the young person have relied heavily on information and communication technologies has been made. This report will cover also some issues of specific interest as we discuss young people who are at risk of sexual abuse in connection with information and communication technologies and seek answers questions as follows: I What patterns can be observed from the review on a European level that relate to areas of concern across different countries? II How do different data collection methods impact on the type and the quality of the data obtained? (For example, telephone interviews, paper based surveys responded to in class-room settings, online questionnaires etc). III When compared with other research on difficult and sensitive issues involving young persons, what is indicated in relation to disclosure and how does this compare with official statistics? IV Which behavioural patterns and risks seem to differentiate between specific groups of young people? (e.g. in relation to gender or sexual orientation). V Are there any reports that explore the perception of the young person with regard to the expression of their sexuality online and their interpretation of abusive practices? VI What studies have examined specific behavioural patterns that can be seen as leading from online contact to abusive experiences? VII How can we understand resilience in relation to young people’s online behaviour? VIII Do the reports indicate new emerging research needs as yet uncovered? IX What are the individual risk factors, or risks related to the environment, leading to sexually abusive experiences? X How have the complex ethical issues in involving children been negotiated across studies? Relevant publications were added to a publications database, set up as a part of the project. The emphasis of the work was on collecting information on publications related to online sexual abuse issues from 20 EU countries and Russia, but also publications from other parts of the world have been included if information was available to the project partners. The current report is the first analysis of literature collected by the ROBERT project in the database. The report consists of four major topics: 1. Methodological issues including regional and methodological coverage of online child sexual violence literature 2. Research evidence in to behavioural patterns which lead to becoming a victim of sexual abuse including risk factors of becoming a victim of sexual abuse 3. Behavioural patterns which lead to becoming a sexual abuser and sexually abusive behaviours including risk factors which lead to becoming a sexual abuser and sexually abusive behaviours 4. Specific behavioural patterns and risks of becoming a victim of abuse in relation to particular groups The database on Internet related child sexual abuse literature is available for public use on the Child Centre webpage www.childcentre.info/ROBERT. Details: Child Centre (The Expert Group for Cooperation on Children at Risk; ROBERT Project, EU Safer Internet Programme, 2012. 122p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 24, 2012 at: http://www.childcentre.info/robert/public/Online_behaviour_related_to_sexual_abuse.pdf Year: 2012 Country: Europe URL: http://www.childcentre.info/robert/public/Online_behaviour_related_to_sexual_abuse.pdf Shelf Number: 125757 Keywords: Computer CrimesInternet Child Sexual AbuseInternet CrimesInternet SafetyOnline GroomingOnline Sexual Abuse |
Author: Dooley, Julian J. Title: Review of Existing Australian and International Cyber-Safety Research Summary: This report provides a detailed overview of Australian and international research literature on cyber-safety risks. In general, there are several risks associated with using technology and exposure to these risks, when not properly addressed, is associated with negative consequences. However, the literature (scientific and non-scientific) suggests that some of the most troublesome online risks are strongly associated with offline risks and that these two worlds do not exist independently. Thus, in order to address online risks, it is crucial that offline behaviours also be considered. Finally, the research indicates that as young people increase their use of information and communication technologies, such as the Internet, they increase their risk of being exposed to negative online experiences. Details: Perth, Australia: Child Health Promotion Research Centre, Edith Cowan University, 2009. 276p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 13, 2012 at http://www.dbcde.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/119416/ECU_Review_of_existing_Australian_and_international_cyber-safety_research.pdf Year: 2009 Country: Australia URL: http://www.dbcde.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/119416/ECU_Review_of_existing_Australian_and_international_cyber-safety_research.pdf Shelf Number: 126688 Keywords: Computer CrimeInternet Child Sexual AbuseInternet CrimesInternet SafetyJuvenile VictimsOnline GroomingOnline Sexual AbuseSocial Networking |
Author: World Vision Title: Sex, Abuse and Childhood: A study about knowledge, attitudes and practices relating to child sexual abuse, including in travel and tourism, in Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand and Vietnam. Summary: Many adults and children in Thailand, Lao PDR, Cambodia and Vietnam have a limited understanding of what constitutes child sexual abuse and how to prevent it, revealed a new report, Sex, Abuse and Childhood: A study about knowledge, attitudes and practices relating to child sexual abuse, including in travel and tourism, in Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand and Vietnam. The report, released today by Project Childhood Prevention Pillar, found that most children and adults understood child sexual abuse narrowly as the penetrative rape of girls. Other sexually abusive acts (such as inappropriate touching or exposure to pornography) were not generally recognised, as well as the sexual abuse of boys. The research in Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand and Vietnam aimed to understand the general awareness and understanding of child sexual abuse in communities and the protective mechanisms utilised in reducing harm to children. It is through understanding this broader situation in communities that specific interventions to prevent child sexual abuse in travel and tourism can be effectively delivered over the long term in a sustainable way. Adults and children in the study had only a basic, limited understanding of child abuse and child rights, with child sexual abuse typically understood as the penetrative rape of girls. Few children identified anal sex, oral sex, participation in/exposure to pornography or masturbation as abusive sexual acts. Cases of grooming were documented across the research locations, yet grooming techniques used by both local and foreign offenders to gain access to children were not well understood by adults or children. Most children and adults confused the legal age of consent with the legal age of marriage and perceived this mainly as a form of control over, rather than a protective mechanism for, children. School children received information about anatomy and reproductive health at schools and from NGOs but rarely received more detailed information focusing specifically on child sexual abuse prevention strategies. Researchers identified five main sources of education about sex and sex-related issues for children: media and the internet, friends and peers, schools, public information campaigns, and personal experience/observation. Parents were not found to be a major source of information about sex for children and demonstrated the lowest levels of understanding on the issue of child sexual abuse. Despite the strong influence of the internet, digital and media technologies on the attitudes and sexual behaviour of children, parents and duty bearers were generally not aware of its effects, nor did they provide adequate supervision or information about the risks posed (e.g. online grooming). In general, many adults and children appeared to lack a thorough understanding of child sexual abuse and practical ways to identify, prevent or respond to it. Details: Melbourne: World Vision Australia, 2014. 87p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 2, 2014 at: http://www.childsafetourism.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Sex-Abuse-Childhood-Report.pdf Year: 2014 Country: Asia URL: http://www.childsafetourism.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Sex-Abuse-Childhood-Report.pdf Shelf Number: 132590 Keywords: Child Prostitution Child Sex Tourism Child Sexual Abuse Online Grooming |
Author: Barefoot Research and Evaluation Title: Child Sexual Exploitation in the North East and Cumbria Summary: We have been researching the sexual exploitation of both adults and children in the North East and Cumbria since 2006. The studies have been commissioned by Northern Rock Foundation's Safety and Justice for Victims of Abuse Programme and included studies in County Durham, Cleveland, Cumbria and Northumbria Police Force Areas. Their objective was to identify the characteristics and examine the extent of exploitation and also included research into adult exploitation. The findings from the studies served a number of purposes including supporting the Foundation's Safety and Justice grant programme, informing local statutory policy and services and ultimately attempting to improve awareness of, and provision for, exploited children and adults. When we started there were few places in the North East where there was any awareness of Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE), with the exception of Newcastle and Middlesbrough. Our research, which took a knowledge mapping approach, found incidents of CSE in every local authority area across the North East and Cumbria; CSE was a consistent and repetitive finding involving both female and male children, (to a ratio of approximately nine to one) and taking place with children between 12 and 17 years old. Based on our research, we identified a total of 310 females and 41 males who were victims of CSE. The numbers involved in the different local authority areas varied between a low point of 12 children in North Tyneside to a high point of 52 in County Durham. In the main body of the report we present our findings on: patterns of exploitation in the region, including online grooming and off-street exploitation; venues associated with CSE; exploitation and exchanges of resources; and the service response. We also discuss in detail the process of the research, some of the barriers and the methodology which led us to our findings. We found that CSE takes place despite a range of preventative, supportive and enforcement measures. We suspect that the more sophisticated these become, the lower the incidence of exploitation, as seems to be the case in Middlesbrough. Thus, the extent of CSE can be mitigated but not eradicated, as a result of the complex array of push factors (which are related to poverty, family relationships and education). Details: Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK: Northern Rock Foundation. 2015. 34p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 23, 2016 at: http://www.nr-foundation.org.uk/downloads/Child_sexual_exploitation_report-Jan16.pdf Year: 2015 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.nr-foundation.org.uk/downloads/Child_sexual_exploitation_report-Jan16.pdf Shelf Number: 139797 Keywords: Child ProstitutionChild Sexual ExploitationOnline Grooming |
Author: International Centre for Missing & Exploited Chidlren Title: Child Pornography: Model Legislation & Global Review. 7th edition Summary: Since this report was first released by the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children (ICMEC) in April 2006, ICMEC has continued to update its research into the child pornography legislation currently in place in the nations of the world to gain a better understanding of existing legislation and to gauge where the issue stands on national political agendas.1 In particular, we are looking to see if national legislation: (1) exists with specific regard to child pornography; (2) provides a definition of child pornography; (3) criminalizes computer‐facilitated offenses; (4) criminalizes the knowing possession of child pornography, regardless of the intent to distribute; and (5) requires Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to report suspected child pornography to law enforcement or to some other mandated agency. In the summer of 2009, ICMEC conducted a thorough update of our research on existing child pornography legislation, expanding our review beyond the 187 Interpol member countries to include 196 countries. Our work included independent research as well as direct contact with Embassies in Washington, D.C. to ensure the accuracy of the report. A new review of the 196 countries began in the Spring of 2011. The process remained much the same; reviewing the existing legislation of each country in search of laws specifically focused on child pornography offenses and verifying the information through the Embassies in Washington, D.C., U.N. Permanent Missions in New York, and in‐country law enforcement contacts. However, the 7th edition report also contains several new sections including expanded information on online grooming, information on the new EU Directive on combating the sexual abuse and sexual exploitation of children and child pornography, a review of data retention and preservation policies, and a discussion of implementation. Results The 1st edition, published in 2006, returned shocking results: -- only 27 had legislation sufficient to combat child pornography offenses (5 countries met all of the criteria set forth above and 22 countries met all but the last criteria, pertaining to ISP reporting); and -- 95 Countries had no legislation at all that specifically addresses child pornography. Of the remaining 62 Countries that did have legislation specifically addressing child pornography:-- 54 Countries did not define child pornography in national legislation;-- 27 Countries did not provide for computer‐facilitated offenses; and-- 41 Countries did not criminalize possession of child pornography, regardless of the intent to distribute. The 6th edition, published in late 2010, revealed progress. Of the 196 countries reviewed:-- 45 Countries had legislation sufficient to combat child pornography offenses (8 countries met all of the criteria set forth above and 37 countries met all but the last criteria, pertaining to ISP reporting); and-- 89 Countries still had no legislation at all that specifically addresses child pornography. Of the remaining 62 countries that did have legislation specifically addressing child pornography:-- 52 did not define child pornography in national legislation;-- 18 did not provide for computer‐facilitated offenses; and-- 33 did not criminalize the knowing possession of child pornography, regardless of the intent to distribute. Forward movement continues to be visible in this edition, though much remains to be done. Our updated research shows that of the 196 countries reviewed:-- 69 Countries have legislation sufficient to combat child pornography offenses (11 countries met all of the criteria set forth above and 58 countries meet all but the last criteria, pertaining to ISP reporting); and-- 53 Countries still have no legislation at all that specifically addresses child pornography. Of the remaining 74 countries that do have legislation specifically addressing child pornography:-- 60 do not define child pornography in national legislation;-- 21 do not provide for computer‐facilitated offenses; and-- 47 do not criminalize the knowing possession of child pornography, regardless of the intent to distribute. Details: Alexandria, VA: The Centre, 2012. 52p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 16, 2017 at: http://www.icmec.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/7th-Edition-EN.pdf Year: 2012 Country: International URL: http://www.icmec.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/7th-Edition-EN.pdf Shelf Number: 131374 Keywords: Child PornographyChild Sexual ExploitationChildren, Crimes AgainstInternet CrimesOnline GroomingOrganized CrimeSex CrimesSex Offenders |
Author: Krone, Tony Title: Online Child Sexual Exploitation Offenders: A Study of Australian Law Enforcement Data Summary: Children are among the most vulnerable members of our society and need our nurture, care and protection, yet too many children around the world experience some form of child abuse. The exploitation of children for sexual purposes, in which children are used as commodities for the sexual pleasure of adults, is particularly heinous. Child sexual exploitation (CSE) is a global problem that demands strong and effective responses. The full extent and nature of the problem, both historically and currently, is only now beginning to be recognised. The reality of child sexual exploitation within families, in institutions and elsewhere must be confronted. Evidence tells us that intrafamilial sexual exploitation of children has been, and remains, a major problem. The reality - of exploitation by offenders who are known to their child victims - runs counter to the perceived danger presented by strangers. The focus on the danger presented by strangers appears to have been part of a collective denial of the reality of exploitation committed by those entrusted with the care of children. A key concern for those working to address this problem is to determine how the viewing of child exploitation material (CEM) is linked to involvement in the production and sharing of such material, or its use in the grooming of children for sexual purposes or the commission of further sexual assaults on children. Most CEM is held online; it is therefore important to understand how offenders inhabit and use the internet to groom children for sexual purposes. This exploratory study examines data related to a sample of offenders convicted of online child sexual exploitation offences under Australian Commonwealth law, to determine the relationship between offline or contact offences and online CSE offending. In this sample, most CEM offenders appeared to commit only online offences, although there did appear to be a connection between CEM, grooming and contact offending in a minority of cases. This study is an important early step in improving our understanding of Commonwealth online CSE offenders. It points to the need to further assess the nature of online CSE and its relationship to other forms of sexual and violent offences. Details: Canberra: Criminology Research advisory Council, 2017. 78p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 2, 2017 at: http://crg.aic.gov.au/reports/1617/58-1213-FinalReport.pdf Year: 2017 Country: Australia URL: http://crg.aic.gov.au/reports/1617/58-1213-FinalReport.pdf Shelf Number: 145903 Keywords: Child PornographyChild Sexual ExploitationComputer Crimes Internet Crimes Online GroomingOnline VictimizationSex Offenders |
Author: International Centre for Missing & Exploited Chidlren Title: Online Grooming of Children for Sexual Purposes: Model Legislation & Global Review Summary: The grooming of children for sexual purposes through the Internet and related technologies is a growing problem worldwide, putting countless children at risk for sexual abuse and exploitation. Grooming is the process by which an adult establishes or builds a relationship with a child, either in person or through the use of the Internet and related technologies, to facilitate online or offline sexual contact with the child. Online grooming can be connected with a variety of different forms of sexual exploitation of children, such as the creation of child sexual abuse material and sexual assault. The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) reported that in England and Wales the Internet was used to commit an average of eight sexual crimes against children, including rape, grooming, and live streaming of abuse, every day in 2015. Each year, Internet availability and accessibility continues to improve, and in turn the number of Internet users globally grows steadily - more than 50% of the world's population now actively uses Internet services. There are more than 3.8 billion Internet users worldwide today with 70% of the world's Internet users ages 15-2412 and an estimated 750,000 predators online at any given moment. Easy access to information and communication technologies (ICTs) together with a growing population of young people online makes apparent the need for comprehensive legislation and other tools to help protect children from the risk of sexual abuse Technology gives offenders access to children around the clock. A 2010 study found that US children between the ages of 8-18 spend an average of 7.5 hours each day on the Internet. An even earlier study of Swedish children's media habits found that 82% of children ages 9-11 and 95% of children ages 12-16 use the Internet; 28% and 54% of those same age groups respectively use the Internet daily.17 These reports demonstrate that children around the world have integrated the Internet into their lives in a way that may still be incomprehensible to many adults. Children today use the Internet every day not only to communicate with one another, but also to establish and maintain relationships with others, their social spheres often spanning both online and offline without any clear separation between the two. Some studies show that children who have experienced negative life events or maltreatment may be more vulnerable to online grooming. However, research from various industrialized countries shows that some children who have been victimized online "shared no apparent negative prior life circumstances and appeared to have been randomly targeted...," demonstrating that "there is no typical victim and the most striking thing about children abused online is their heterogeneity." Victims are most often between the ages of 13-15. Some groomers communicate with many children simultaneously as they develop relationships and, in 2012, the European Online Grooming Research Project found that "girls seem to be at greater risk than boys." Boys are shown to constitute a "substantial group of the victims," but are generally less willing to report instances of abuse. Thus, the gap in confirmed victimization between boys and girls may be smaller than some reports indicate. Online grooming occurs via email, instant messaging apps, social networking sites, chatrooms, online gaming sites, photo sharing sites, and dating apps, which can be accessed through personal computers and laptops, tablets, and mobile phones. A 2012 UK-based survey of 1,718 children aged 11-16 years old revealed that 42% received online attachments by email from strangers, 37% added a stranger to their instant messaging contacts, and 35% added a stranger to their social networking friends group. These technologies are not only popular amongst younger generations, but they also provide offenders with a platform to create a persona and, in some cases, to mask their true age and identity. In doing so, they are better able to connect with children and more easily gain their trust and cooperation, ultimately introducing a sexual element into the relationship. In particular, social networking sites are widely used for online grooming. Offenders can use the Internet and related technologies to find vulnerable children who meet their preferred sexual interests by scanning such sites to find a young person's personal information before contacting them. For example, offenders can use such sites to access profile pictures, demographic information, interests, and communications with others (i.e., news feed, status posts, comments on posts) to target victims. Offenders thus can identify the children in whom they are interested so they may contact and eventually sexually exploit them. Child Internet users are particularly open to interacting with strangers because they use social media and social networking sites as a way to meet new people, rather than solely as a way to keep in touch with people they already know. Given such openness with strangers, a cybercrime study conducted in the UK estimated that "850,000 cases of unwanted online sexual approaches were made in chat rooms during 2006 and that 238 offenses of meeting a child following sexual grooming were recorded." A 2005 US study showed that one in 25 children ages 10-17 had received aggressive sexual solicitations that included attempts to contact them offline, and one in 25 were solicited by an online offender to take sexual pictures of themselves. Just five years later, another study reported that one in 11 US children aged 10 to 17 reported receiving an unwanted sexual solicitation online. Over the last two decades, online gaming has similarly grown into a worldwide activity for adults and children alike. The functionality of online gaming platforms (computers, video game consoles, or hand-held gaming systems) has evolved and expanded to include Internet access, messaging platforms, and photo and video sharing, thus enabling people around the world to communicate and play games with each other in real-time. Sexual predators increasingly use online games as a means to easily gain access to and connect with children. Subsequently, as more and more children play video games online, the risk of children coming into contact with sexual predators has grown. The unique capabilities of video games often enable video and voice communications between a child and an offender. Online games automatically give the offender and child a common interest, bypassing some of the child's fears of establishing a relationship with a stranger. In addition, children often spend time on the gaming platforms with little or no adult supervision, thus increasing an offender's ability to build and progress a relationship. Once a trust-relationship has been established, the offender may encourage the child to communicate on other platforms like private chatrooms, instant messengers, and social media apps, further facilitating the exchange of sexual conversations and images/videos, and even live-streaming sexual acts. While the grooming process can occur in-person, online grooming often progresses more rapidly, and the offender may use a variety of techniques to persuade, pressure, and manipulate the child to cooperate, all while taking advantage of the anonymity the Internet provides. Online groomers can persuade a child to meet in less than half an hour and, according to the findings of a UK-based research team, in some cases it can take as little as 18 minutes to convince a child to meet. Likewise, a Middlesex University (London) study found that offenders, when chatting online with children, often introduce sexual topics after just three minutes, and a bond can be formed with a child after only eight minutes. The grooming process is complex and involves "trust-building, isolation and desensitization towards sexual behavior...a network of processes and strategies that do not follow always the same order." As there is no single method of grooming children, there is also no single profile of online groomers. Details: Alexandria, VA: The Centre, 2017. 67p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 18, 2018 at: http://www.icmec.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Online-Grooming-of-Children_FINAL_9-18-17.pdf Year: 2017 Country: International URL: http://www.icmec.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Online-Grooming-of-Children_FINAL_9-18-17.pdf Shelf Number: 150267 Keywords: Computer CrimesInternet Child Sexual AbuseInternet CrimesInternet SafetyOnline GroomingOnline Sexual Abuse |
Author: International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children Title: Child Pornography: Model Legislation & Global Review. 9th ed. Summary: As global accessibility to technology platforms and the Internet has increased, so too has children's online presence. According to UNICEF, one in three Internet users worldwide is a child. And while the digital world offers countless benefits and opportunities, it also vastly multiplies the risks to children. As ICMEC enters its 20th year, we still believe that protecting children is a global imperative. We recognize the continued need for ever stronger laws, policies, and mechanisms; increased coordination across sectors; and the value of sharing ideas, perspectives, and best practices to positively influence child protection responses. We also celebrate the progress of recent years as organizations and institutions around the world have come together in collaborative initiatives such as the WePROTECT Global Alliance, utilizing tools like the Model National Response and the World Health Organization's INSPIRE Strategies to fulfill the UN Sustainable Development Goals and enhance support for children on all fronts. We are particularly excited that adoption of our Model Legislation has been included as a key recommendation of the recent Child Dignity Alliance Technology Working Group Report. Twelve years ago, in an effort to better understand the global legislative landscape as it related to child sexual abuse material (then referred to as "child pornography"), ICMEC launched an initiative that some have called our "Rule of Law" project. We developed model legislation, after careful consideration and consultation, to increase global understanding and concern, and enable governments around the world to adopt and enact appropriate legislation necessary to combat this crime and better protect children. Since we first published the Model Legislation report in 2006, 150 countries have refined or implemented new legislation combating child sexual abuse material. We have seen tremendous progress during the 9th Edition review period, nearly the most we have seen to date. This does not, however, mean that there is nothing left to do - rather, this is the time to be diligent, to persist and push forward to help bring the remaining countries into the fold. As always, it is important to note that the legislative review accompanying our model legislation is not a scorecard or a scold, but an effort to assess the current state and awareness of the problem. Realizing the importance of taking into consideration varying cultural, religious, socio-economic, and political norms, our model legislation continues to resemble a menu of concepts that can be applied universally, as opposed to actual statutory language. With this latest edition, we continue our efforts to improve the legislative landscape and strengthen child protection efforts by introducing new and updated sections in the model law, incorporating additional international and regional legal instruments, and featuring new initiatives related to implementation. Details: Alexandria, VA: The Centre, 2018. 68p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed march 18, 2019 at: https://www.icmec.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/CSAM-Model-Law-9th-Ed-FINAL-12-3-18.pdf Year: 2018 Country: International URL: https://www.icmec.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/CSAM-Model-Law-9th-Ed-FINAL-12-3-18.pdf Shelf Number: 155029 Keywords: Child PornographyChild Sexual ExploitationChildren, Crimes AgainstInternet CrimesOnline GroomingOrganized CrimeSex CrimesSex Offenders |