Grooming and child abuse: 6 questions, answered

MPR News host Angela Davis talks about how to prevent grooming — a pattern of manipulative behaviors to gain a child’s trust in order to sexually abuse them.

Angela’s guests explain why preventing grooming isn’t just about recognizing it. It’s about creating conditions where it can’t happen.

Guests:

• Dr. Mark Hudson is a child abuse pediatrician and medical director of the Midwest Children’s Resource Center at Children’s Minnesota, Minnesota’s largest pediatric hospital.
• Monica Rivera is the vice president of education and research at the U.S. Center for SafeSport, a nonprofit created in the wake of sexual misconduct at USA Gymnastics.
• Elizabeth Shockman is an MPR News reporter who covers K-12 education.

To report abuse in Minnesota, contact your county’s child protection agency: Directory of County and Tribal Child Protection Agencies | Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families.

A 24-hour statewide sexual violence and domestic violence hotline is available in Minnesota. You can call Minnesota Day One at (866) 223-1111 or text (612) 399-9995.

You can also contact the Midwest Children’s Resource Center at 651-220-6750. Emergency phone consultation is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for concerned patients, parents, child protection and law enforcement agencies, physicians, therapists and attorneys.

For more information about how to recognize and prevent grooming:

• Use this reference to identify, prevent, and respond to grooming behaviors.
• Recognizing Signs of Grooming in Sport | U.S. Center for SafeSport