Twitter launches the first guide in Latin America on grooming

Grooming refers to the sexual harassment of children and adolescents through digital means, generally by adults who seek to establish contact for sexual purposes. Faced with a global crisis scenario that requires new responses in digital matters to promote a safe Internet in which adolescents live, the construction of this document becomes of vital importance for Latin American families and communities.

In addition to the meaning of the term grooming, and general guidelines, the guide contains:

• The interpretation and identification of behavioural, emotional and educational indicators in potential victims.
• Family cybersecurity tools for primary and secondary prevention.
• Description of the incorporation of said behaviour as a crime in the different legislations of Latin America.
• Valid reporting resources and tools, such as Grooming Argentina’s innovative GAPP application, the first in the country and the region, allows reporting in real-time.
• General protection resources on Twitter, such as reporting support through its platform, and a glossary with the specific terminology used by the company.

The Twitter Compromise

“It is very important for our organization to have the support of a company like Twitter. The commitment and responsibility that we knew how to co-build from the beginning are reflected in the forcefulness of this guide. This will be a tool that will transcend throughout Latin America and a reference instrument in families and in different communities, fundamentally in education, through the implementation of the development of skills in digital education, ”said Dr. Hernán Navarro, president of Grooming Argentina.

For her part, Danya Centeno, representative of the Public Policy team of Twitter Latin America and a security specialist, said: “From Twitter, we are committed to ensuring the safety of all those who use our platform. This is why we at Twitter have a series of rules aimed at creating a safe and free environment. Likewise, we continue to work on creating alliances with organizations such as Grooming Argentina, to work together for a healthier and safer conversation for people in the digital environment.”

What is grooming?

The term grooming is an anglicism that translates into approaching or grooming behaviours, configuring it as a crime in different countries of the region. This process is carried out by the stalker and consists of different stages, which may be replaced and/or alternate with each other and may take days, weeks, months and/or years, becoming a new form of sexual abuse without physical contact against children. , girls and adolescents.

The stages are known as follows:

1. Hooking or entrapment stage (trapping): has the objective of gaining trust and establishing a bond of friendship. The stalker approaches the adolescent, generally misrepresenting his identity and/or her age, through a conversation where the exchange of tastes, preferences and interests prevails.
2. Loyalty stage: the stalker – knowing the tastes and interests of the adolescent – deepens the relationship, obtaining a greater amount of personal data. At this stage, the stalker will try to keep the attention captive, trying to build loyalty through the exchange of secrets, confidences, promises, etc.
3. Seduction stage: the harasser will seduce and sexualize the conversation, generally through questions and/or stories, to generate a commitment and/or emotional dependency in the adolescent.
4. Stage of sexual harassment: it is characterized by a marked sexual assault, implicit or explicit, in which the harasser manipulates the victim through the request of intimate images and/or videos, or the proposal of a personal meeting. In those cases in which the adolescent does not agree to her requirements, the harasser will exercise different forms of violence, such as: blackmail, extortion, threats or coercion.

This guide reflects the importance of Latin American societies and communities assuming an active commitment in the fight against this crime, and calls, in turn, to promote actions focused on the prevention and protection of the rights of children and adolescents in the digital environments.