Building peace in the minds of men and women

Internet Governance Glossary

4

4.39 Child grooming

Cybercrime deliberately undertaken with the aim of befriending and establishing an emotional connection with a child, to lower the child's inhibitions in order to sexually abuse the child.

Note:

Child grooming is a criminal violation of child safety online most frequently undertaken under a masked identity – while pretending to be peers, offenders collect information and steadily groom the child, easily managing to win the child’s trust, even aiming to establish a physical meeting. The virtual conduct thereby transforms to real contact and can go as far as the abuse and exploitation of children, paedophilia, the solicitation of minors for sexual purposes, and even child trafficking.