PART 1: THE GROOMERS

Groomers possess the skills to deceive victims, their families, and entire communities. The process is subtle and involves forming a relationship with a vulnerable person with the intention of future sexual assault or inducing the victim to participate in crime. Grooming is an illegal act, but prosecuting such cases is challenging due to the difficulty of proving criminal intent without a sexual assault occurring. Educating patients, including children, adolescents, youth, and adults, will empower communities to recognize forms of manipulation and report grooming before offenders have the chance to commit sexual crimes.

Course Objectives

• Discuss how young people can identify trustworthy adults by recognizing the inappropriate behaviors of unsafe adults.
• Identify the myths that can obscure the indicators of human trafficking.
• Describe the manipulative tactics used by sexual predators to groom their targets.
• Examine how viewing pornography can harm young brains, normalize sexual exploitation, and contribute to the expansion of the commercial sex trade.

PART 2: THE VULNERABLE

Children and adolescents are naturally vulnerable to sex offenders and human traffickers due to their cognitive immaturity and limited life experience, which affects their decision-making abilities. A youth’s inherent obedience and financial dependence on adults can also make them easy targets when living with, or in proximity to, a sexual predator. Particularly vulnerable populations include individuals from marginalized communities, such as LGBTQ+ youth, undocumented immigrants, and those with a history of trauma or abuse. Providing education enables patients to understand how human traffickers prey on at-risk populations and empowers them to recognize and respond to manipulation, intimidation, and coercion.

Course Objectives

• Discuss how the use of electronic devices on internet platforms can increase an individual's vulnerability to sexual predators.
• Examine how societal factors contribute to the overlooked sexual exploitation of young males and why they may be reluctant to seek help.
• Identify the reasons young and marginalized populations are at heightened risk of being victimized by predators in the commercial sex trade.
• Appraise how living in rural or sparsely populated communities presents unique conditions that enable sex traffickers to prey on vulnerable individuals.

PART 3: THE PERPETRATORS

Human traffickers and sexual predators often use love bonds, debt bonds, drug bonds, and family bonds to maintain control over their victims. These perpetrators commit emotionally and physically harmful acts against vulnerable populations, commonly persuading victims to believe they are responsible for the crimes inflicted upon them. Educating patients about the risk factors and indicators of human trafficking will help them recognize the vulnerabilities that sexual predators exploit and the signs that appear once someone has been entrapped in the commercial sex trade.

Course Objectives

• Describe the various personas assumed by human traffickers to deceive their victims and ultimately instill fear to maintain power and control.
• Analyze how human traffickers coerce individuals under their control to recruit friends and new acquaintances into the commercial sex trade.
• Examine the sexual exploitation of children by family members for financial gain or to obtain something of value.
• List and discuss the factors that influence males to buy sex initially and how they rationalize purchasing sex acts from vulnerable individuals.