Online child sexual grooming: empirical findings on victimization and legal requirements

Abstract

This work presents the results of quantitative research into online child grooming carried out with a sample of 489 secondary school students in Catalonia (Spain). Besides determining the rate of victimisation of children by this behaviour, it establishes the profile of the victims and the offenders. In addition, it analyses the dynamics of these processes, victim-offender interaction, the level of effect that this behaviour has on the victims and the way in which an end was put to the situation. The results obtained in this empirical research do not permit confirmation of the common opinion that the widespread use of information and communication technology has led to an exponential increase in the victimisation of minors through online child grooming behaviour by unknown adults offline, because of which we need to react through the criminalisation of this behaviour.

We would like to publicly thank the management teams at the five secondary schools in the city where this research was carried out for their inestimable contribution. We would like to thank Katherine Flórez, Sandra Pujols and Helena Castells for their help in gathering and analysing the data. This work was supported by the project DER 2012-38559-C03-03, on the protection of sexual indemnity of minors by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness.