It is abuse when an older and more experienced person grooms a teenager for sexual intercourse. The grooming starts with gaining the victim’s trust. The groomer gives the victim gifts and money, compliments them and showers them with attention, shares secrets with them and builds rapport. The communication is kept secret, which is how the victim is isolated.

Grooming can happen in person or online, to children or youth. Grooming can also be used on young people and adults in vulnerable situations.

Read an interview with Elísabet, who was groomed by an older man.

“He said that no one could find out about it because of my age, because then he would be convicted and might lose his job.”

When an older person uses deceit or gifts to groom a teenager or a vulnerable person to perform sexual acts, it is called grooming. Grooming is abuse and is illegal.

Ingvar is thirteen years old and plays basketball. His new coach is energetic and youthful even though he’s over thirty...

Ingvar is thirteen years old and plays basketball. His new coach is energetic and youthful even though he’s over thirty. The coach sometimes invites the boys to his house after practice to watch basketball movies. One time Ingvar goes alone and the coach compliments him and admits that Ingvar is his favourite.

After that, they start meeting alone and become good friends without anyone else knowing. The coach gives him clothes and alcohol and often massages him after practice. One time they watch porn together and it ends in sexual intercourse. Ingvar finds all of this exciting but something about it still bothers him. He has no one to talk to because he’s lost touch with friends and family.

Ingvar

Is this abuse?