Tag Archive for predator

Child Predator Grooming

December 12, 2017 Comments Off on Child Predator Grooming

Because we never know for sure who’s a sexual predator, it’s important that we know the signs of when one is “grooming” a child. Parents, grandparents, guardians, teachers, parishioners, neighbors–any of us adults who have children we care for and want to look out for…we all need to know the signs so we can keep our children safe.

Here’s a list of the basic steps a predator takes in the grooming process.  For an explanation of each, read the single-page fact sheet Behaviors of Sexual Predators: Grooming.

  • Targeting the victim.
  • Gaining the child’s trust.
  • Filling a need.
  • Isolating the child.
  • Sexualizing the interaction.
  • Maintaining control.

Six steps. That’s all it takes to ensnare a child.

One step–our intervention–is all it takes to save a child.

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In Defense of Sexual Predators

December 4, 2017 Comments Off on In Defense of Sexual Predators

I hate to say it, but these guys being accused of sexual assault and misconduct MAY have a defense strategy, saying it was acceptable behavior “back then.”  I’m talking about accusations of events happening decades ago, not ones in the relatively recent past (but someone would have to define that). It definitely isn’t right or moral, but that could very well be set aside.

It happened to me—the butt pats, uncomfortable arm around me, “accidental” breast-brushing, off-color comments about my appearance.  But who could I complain to? Our male boss or his male boss? The men who observed and laughed about it? It wasn’t illegal, so the police would tell me it was just boys being boys, that they were showing their affection for and acceptance of me as a colleague, and I should be a good sport.  Problem is, the attitude I attribute to the police was, in general, society’s attitude at that time.

I’m not trivializing what any woman has gone through.  As I said, I’ve been there and know how it feels and the awkward, even professionally precarious position it puts a woman in.  But I foresee lawyers arguing their clients’ cases, with the spin they’ll likely put on it.  And the greater the number of older men who are accused, the easier the spin.

Let this be a warning to all “good old boys,” which, thankfully, are no longer the majority of men: times have changed, so be a good sport about it and change your ways.

 

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What Does Releasing Doves Really Mean?

October 7, 2017 Comments Off on What Does Releasing Doves Really Mean?

They know not what they do. Today, in Las Vegas, people are celebrating the lives of the victims of the horrific shooting. They mean well, desperate to find a way to say “We care” and “We are deeply saddened.”  Unfortunately, they’re misguided.

The dove is a symbol of peace. But consider these doves.  There’s a prosperous industry that breeds and raises doves in captivity to be purchased and released at weddings, funerals, and memorials of tragic events. These birds have never been in the wild, never learned to protect themselves from predators or find food for themselves. The result is that birds of prey (falcons, hawks, etc.) make a quick meal of the helpless doves. The ones that escape their talons go hungry or starve to death. They don’t have a chance.

To me, that soils the symbolism.

Please consider this if you ever think of using doves as part of your celebration.

 

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