Child Grooming: When Power Protects Predators.

In the first of two special episodes, we explore the widespread problem of child sexual exploitation and grooming, highlighting the shocking extent of this evil, and considering the systematic patterns revealed by several high‑profile cases involving wealthy and influential individuals. We examine how power, institutional failure, and silence have enabled a level of abuse and trafficking which brings shame on our societies. As always, we hone in to see where our prayers and intentions may be most needed. WARNING: Listeners should be aware that this episode contains descriptions that may disturbing. Intentions and prayers start at 25 minutes 58 seconds. Suggested Intention Focus for this week This week, as an estimated 300 million children globally experience sexual exploitation every year, especially via online abuse, we suggest holding as our main intention: We will that every adult who may work in organisations, live in communities, or otherwise know of circumstances where children are being systematically groomed or sexually abused will be moved to challenge deference toward those who have wealth, fame or power, and to respond to the cries of the powerless who are or may be being abused.  Please join us in holding this. Read Ellen’s blog entry for Sacred Feminist, ‘Why is there a market for sexual slavery?’ at http://sacredfeminist.com/why-is-there-a-market-for-sexual-slavery/ While not specifically relating to child grooming, the following relate to the broader topic of abuse committed by men and advocacy for women and other victims: Advocacy to prevent violence against women and girls, advice for what men can do, White Ribbon: https://www.whiteribbon.org.uk/allies. One man (a White Ribbon ambassador) speaks out: https://www.whiteribbon.org.uk/we-speak-up/joseph-smith  Men Behaving Badly: Leaders Who Play The Religious Card, our episode focused on men in positions of power who use religious narratives to justify their ideologies:  https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-s4zbu-18e6f49 . Chapter markers: 00:00:00            Introduction 00:01:43            Reflecting on Child Exploitation 00:05:06            The Scale of Global Abuse 00:10:00            The Epstein Case Unveiled 00:10:40            Al-Fayed’s Systemic Abuse 00:12:32            R. Kelly and His Victims 00:13:51            Notable Scandals in History 00:17:06            Institutional Failures and Complicity 00:19:51            The Grooming Process 00:23:41            The Role of Society in Protection 00:25:37            Call to Action for Change 00:25:58            Intentions and Prayers Sources referenced in this episode: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-56110052 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-58801183 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catholic_Church_sexual_abuse_cases_by_country https://thediplomat.com/2024/09/malaysia-charges-businessmen-in-cult-linked-child-sex-abuse-scandal/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_Ikhwan_child_abuse_scandal https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2024/12/24/enough-with-buck-passing-child-abuse-in-the-church-is-systemic https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0145213421001411 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvg559zz3d8o https://eurochild.org/news/europes-hidden-crisis-child-sexual-abuse-online-at-unprecedented-levels/ https://www.csacentre.org.uk/app/uploads/2024/07/Child-sexual-abuse-of-African-Asian-and-Caribbean-heritage-children-A-knowledge-review.pdf https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvgp1x028r9o https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/baroness-caseys-audit-of-group-based-child-sexual-exploitation-and-abuse https://www.childlight.org/newsroom/over-300-million-children-a-year-are-victims-of-online-sexual-exploitation-and-abuse    https://www.childlight.org/newsroom/child-sexual-exploitation-and-abuse-is-a-multibillion-dollar-industry-our-new-report-shows-who-benefits  https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9568794/ https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/child-trafficking-by-country  https://www.csacentre.org.uk/app/uploads/2024/02/Trends-in-Offical-Data-2022-23-FINAL.pdf https://news.sky.com/story/ghislaine-maxwell-how-girls-were-lured-to-be-abused-by-jeffrey-epstein-12500819      https://theconversation.com/jeffrey-epstein-is-not-unique-what-his-case-reveals-about-the-realities-of-child-sex-trafficking-270127   https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cy7dgrkp2vzo     https://www.leighday.co.uk/news/blog/elimination-of-violence-against-women/wealth-power-and-impunity-sexual-abuse-by-powerful-men/       https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/14/world/europe/harrods-mohamed-fayed-brothers-sexual-assault.html    https://theconversation.com/four-ways-mohamed-al-fayed-silenced-whistleblowers-in-his-organisation-240936  https://19thnews.org/2021/09/r-kelly-has-been-convicted-of-sex-crimes-against-black-women-why-did-it-take-nearly-30-years/   https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/r-kelly-sentenced-xxx-sex-trafficking-case-rcna35832  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USA_Gymnastics_sex_abuse_scandal      https://www.npr.org/2024/04/23/1246647531/doj-settles-larry-nassar-usa-gymnastics-sexual-assault-victims https://edition.cnn.com/2022/06/08/us/larry-nassar-fbi-mishandling-claim https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rochdale_child_sex_abuse_ring          https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn9y0lvpyqvo https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rotherham_child_sexual_exploitation_scandal https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/685559d05225e4ed0bf3ce54/National_Audit_on_Group-based_Child_Sexual_Exploitation_and_Abuse.pdf  https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/baroness-caseys-audit-of-group-based-child-sexual-exploitation-and-abuse https://research.hud.ac.uk/media/assets/document/hhs/RelationshipBetweenPovertyChildAbuseandNeglect_Report.pdf  https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2021/05/14/jeffrey-epstein-investigation-women-487157     https://novaramedia.com/2022/01/14/why-do-rich-and-powerful-people-become-abusers-because-they-can/  https://www.thesafeguardingalliance.org.uk/safeguarding-sector-faith-based-communities/  https://www.christsoldiergirlfitness.com/prayers-against-child-abuse/     https://care.org.uk/cause/human-trafficking/seven-ways-to-pray-about-human-trafficking  https://www.worldvision.org/child-protection-news-stories/matthew-25-protecting-children-prayer https://stmaryshaverhill.org.uk/_data/site/76/news/685/2024_12_06_Litany.pdf https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/how-british-teen-model-was-lured-jeffrey-epstein-s-web-n1056901 https://www.childlight.org/uploads/publications/into-the-light_2025-01-31-092530_brzc.pdf https://time.com/6552063/jeffrey-epsteins-unsealed-court-documents/ https://www.state.gov/reports/2024-trafficking-in-persons-report https://www.npr.org/2021/07/20/1017968999/jeffrey-epsteins-victims-speak-out-in-perversion-of-justice-by-julie-k-brown https://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0227884 https://www.jornalavancosmedicina.com/index.php/am/article/download/40/46 https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4907083/ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8685723/ https://home-affairs.ec.europa.eu/news/newly-released-data-show-increase-trafficking-human-beings-2024-02-28_en https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/human-trafficking/global-report-on-trafficking-in-persons.html https://www.celcis.org/application/files/5717/3168/8745/CELCIS_Child_Sexual_Abuse_and_Exploitation_2024_Overview_Analysis_Report_-_November_2024.pdf https://www.cps.gov.uk/cps/news/operation-stovewood-seven-men-jailed-total-106-years-sexually-abusing-two-young-girls https://stopthetraffik.org/what-is-human-trafficking/definition-and-scale/ https://learning.nspcc.org.uk/research-resources/statistics-briefings/child-sexual-abuse https://arxiv.org/pdf/2501.12537.pdf https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8205446/ https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/9/6/98/pdf http://www.scirp.org/journal/PaperDownload.aspx?paperID=48830 https://ojs.uniska-bjm.ac.id/index.php/AN-NUR/article/download/6130/3624 https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3730282/ https://ssslearning.co.uk/safeguarding-articles/child-criminal-exploitation-gangs https://www.childrenscommissioner.gov.uk/news-and-blogs/statement-from-the-childrens-commissioner-on-action-plan-to-tackle-grooming-gangs-and-sexual-abuse/ https://thecpsu.org.uk/resource-library/best-practice/protecting-children-in-sport-from-grooming-and-sexual-abuse/ https://berks-bracknell.trixonline.co.uk/chapter/safeguarding-children-from-abuse-linked-to-faith-or-belief https://www.swansea.ac.uk/project-dragon-s/ https://safeguarding.network/content/safeguarding-resources/harmful-practices/child-abuse-linked-to-faith-or-belief https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/larry-nassar-loses-last-appeal-in-sexual-assault-scandal https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/crime/larry-nassar-now-abuse-timeline-b1920783.html Join us in person for intention holding:  https://www.legacylabyrinthproject.org/events-1 Labyrinth Activist Network Zoom calls   https://insighttimer.com/cliverj Daily intention holding with Clive on Insight Timer.   Our websites:    www.heartfulimpact.com/   Our show website.   https://globalhealingresponse.com/ Global Healing Response ~ Offers a wealth of prayers, suggested practices and prompts in response to environmental catastrophe, conflict, and other world events.   https://www.legacylabyrinthproject.org/ Legacy Labyrinth Project ~ Creating global energetic connections through the labyrinth; inspiring active intention sending using the labyrinth via labyrinth activism.   https://www.clivejohnsonministry.com/ Clive Johnson Ministry ~ Events and offerings aimed at building beloved community, including weekly energy holding vigils and Power of Eight group.   https://insighttimer.com/cliverj ~ Daily intention holding.   Impact! Is presented by Ellen Bintz and Clive Johnson. It is produced by Impact Productions.   Our show content is hosted by Podbean and available from all major podcast platforms.   Our theme music is by Chris Collins. indiemusicbox.com.   Our logo artwork is by AltoClassic (Getty Images/istock).   Contact us via Facebook Messenger from the Impact! Facebook group, or using any of the contact methods mentioned on our websites.   Impact! www.heartfulimpact.com.