Towards a Comprehensive European Strategy Against tech-facilitated Grooming And Missing

ended

This project aims to enhance the understanding of the process of grooming, and more particularly how it is facilitated by technology and how it can lead to child sexual abuse and missing, in order to, based on this better understanding: - Ensure that grooming for sexual abuse and potentially leading to going missing is prevented insofar possible - Ensure that victims of grooming are identified and receive appropriate support before, during and after a disappearance The target groups are: ● Young people 11-14 who are at risk of grooming or are victims of grooming themselves and are at risk of missing. ● Carers and teachers who support the internet safety awareness of young people ● Frontline professionals (social workers, NGOs, law enforcement) who will come into contact with missing children who may have experienced sexual abuse/grooming ● Experts on grooming and/or missing ● Law enforcement who respond to cases of missing children ● Policy makers on sexual abuse legislation The impact of the project will be: ● More victims identified and assisted who have gone missing as a result of grooming ● Increased awareness, co-operation and referral amongst frontline professionals, including law enforcement, to quickly identify and respond to grooming victims at all stages of the process ● Better informed young people on the issue of grooming, risks and avenues of support. ● Increased availability of technical tools for law enforcement to detect grooming as a factor in missing cases and preventively when there is an indication of risk. ● Better knowledge and understanding on missing and grooming amongst professionals ● Improved policies and legislation to protect children from grooming