Responding to Child Grooming and Exploitation (Part 2)

In the second part of a special focus on child sexual exploitation and grooming by the rich and powerful, we turn attention to how our societies and each of us as individuals (especially men) can respond. We discuss the psychological, social, and possible evolutionary drivers for predatory male behaviour, why so many seem reluctant to challenge powerful perpetrators, and take a look at helpful suggestions offered by White Ribbon and other survivor-centred organisations who are working to prevent abuse and equip men to call out predatory attitudes in their peer groups and organisations. The episode closes with practical calls to action — urging men to speak out and policymakers to listen to survivors. As always, we consider where our intentions and prayers may be needed. Please note this episode contains descriptions that some listeners may find disturbing. Prayers and intentions start at 23 minutes 36 seconds. Suggested Intention Focus for this week This week, as we reflect upon our societies’ response to child exploitation and grooming, we suggest holding as our main intention: We will that all men have the courage to educate themselves about, and call out, the effect of misogynistic and sexually abusive language, attitudes and behaviours.   Please join us in holding this. Referenced in this edition: 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/  NOTE: Your browser may flag the blog as being “insecure” as it’s now some years old and has an http: rather than https: flag. Rest assured, it’s safe to access and won’t collect any data that you might not want to share! Listen to part 1 of this special two-part series at https://www.podbean.com/eas/pb-bchci-19d4507 . White Ribbon: advice for what men can do: https://www.whiteribbon.org.uk/allies. One man (a White Ribbon ambassador) speaks out: https://www.whiteribbon.org.uk/we-speak-up/joseph-smith . Book: ‘Half the Sky: How to Change the World,’ by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn. Amazon.com link: https://www.amazon.com/Half-Sky-Oppression-Opportunity-Worldwide/dp/0307387097/ref=sr_1_1 Organisations providing advocacy and support to combat exploitation of girls: Note: While all listed organisations are concerned about addressing issues of sexual violence and exploitation, their missions and support services may relate to violence prevention broadly, rather than specifically child sexual exploitation. Australia Bravehearts www.bravehearts.org.au Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE) www.accce.gov.au eSafety Commissioner www.esafety.gov.au Canada Canadian Centre for Child Protection www.protectchildren.ca White Ribbon Canada www.whiteribbon.ca Ireland One in Four Ireland www.oneinfour.ie CARI (Children at Risk in Ireland) www.cari.ie ISPCC / Childline Ireland ispcc.ie  www.childline.ie Dublin Rape Crisis Centre www.drcc.ie Rape Crisis Network Ireland www.rapecrisishelp.ie Barnardos Ireland www.barnardos.ie Tusla (Child and Family Agency)   www.tusla.ie New Zealand ECPAT Child Alert NZ www.ecpat.org.nz Department of Internal Affairs – Digital Child Exploitation Team www.dia.govt.nz Netsafe www.netsafe.org.nz Saint Nicholas Children's Trust www.snctrust.org United Kingdom NSPCC www.nspcc.org.uk Lucy Faithfull Foundation www.lucyfaithfull.org.uk ECPAT UK www.ecpat.org.uk Barnardo's www.barnardos.org.uk  For resources, see: https://www.barnardos.org.uk/resources-help-identify-and-engage-young-people-risk-sexual-abuse-and-exploitation Children's Society www.childrenssociety.org.uk Internet Watch Foundation www.iwf.org.uk White Ribbon UK www.whiteribbon.org.uk Rape Crisis England & Wales    www.rapecrisis.org.uk One in Four UK www.oneinfour.org.uk Refuge www.refuge.org.uk Stop It Now https://www.stopitnow.org.uk/ Catch-22  https://www.catch-22.org.uk/what-we-do/child-exploitation/ United States RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) www.rainn.org National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) www.missingkids.org Thorn www.thorn.org International Organisations ECPAT International www.ecpat.org International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children (ICMEC) www.icmec.org WeProtect Global Alliance www.weprotect.org INHOPE www.inhope.org Chapter markers: 00:00:00            Introduction 00:01:48            Understanding Child Exploitation 00:05:52            The Insidious Nature of Grooming 00:09:05            Why Men Exploit 00:12:34            Evolutionary Factors in Abuse 00:13:43            The market for sexual slavery (Sacred Feminist blog) 00:16:42            Progress and Challenges in Justice 00:18:47            Organizations Leading Change 00:20:32            The Role of Men in Advocacy 00:23:36            Intentions and Prayers Sources referenced in this episode: https://www.itv.com/news/2025-11-27/victim-calls-for-scottish-government-to-acknowledge-existence-of-grooming-gangs https://www.simplypsychology.org/milgram.html https://www.journal-uamd.org/index.php/IJRD/article/view/213    https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/the-failure-of-child-protection-and-the-need-for-a-fresh-start    https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/63106669e90e076ebfb7f419/Child_Exploitation_Disruption_Toolkit_082022.pdf  https://www.lucyfaithfull.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/WG-Preventing-CSA-Toolkit-for-Practitioners_SEPT23.pdf    https://www.iicsa.org.uk/news/new-research-explores-motives-and-behaviour-perpetrators-child-sexual-exploitation.html  https://www.ceopeducation.co.uk/parents/articles/why-do-people-sexually-abuse-children/   https://www.stopitnow.org.uk/self-help-module/understanding-motivations/   https://www.csacentre.org.uk/app/uploads/2023/10/CSE-perpetrators-2-Characteristics-and-motivations-of-perpetrators-of-CSE.pdf https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/behavioral-and-brain-sciences/article/evolutionary-psychology-of-mens-coercive-sexuality/EC85B221C3ADF0C25F95C9A12EC92797  https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0191886915002949  https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0145213423002338 https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10898859/ https://limeculture.co.uk/general/sexual-exploitation-exploring-the-ongoing-failure-to-protect-victims/ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10466942/ https://learning.nspcc.org.uk/news/2025/july/podcast-child-criminal-exploitation https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/9df51185a1bd8bd687f51f486daf810feee02fa9 https://dradproject.gcu.ac.uk/index.php/drad/article/view/38 https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/f04784de581ea4fee1725003037d65e00821ca49 https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4906729/ https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02018/pdf https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10842597/ https://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0099664 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/group-based-child-sexual-exploitation-characteristics-of-offending/characteristics-of-group-based-child-sexual-exploitation-in-the-community-literature-review-accessible-version https://www.ecpat.org.uk/news/no-country-immune-to-child-sexual-exploitation-study-finds https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/articles/sexualoffencesvictimcharacteristicsenglandandwales/yearendingmarch2022 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0145213420301265 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1359178916300878 https://www.csacentre.org.uk/research-resources/key-messages/intra-familial-csa/ https://www.ewadirect.com/proceedings/lnep/article/view/11665 https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1745691617698225 https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1079063215616817 https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9256762/ https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10538710801916416 https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/strategic-direction-sexual-assault-and-abuse-services.pdf https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0092656602005299 https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/3/3/404/pdf https://www.iwf.org.uk/about-us/why-we-exist/our-podcast/in-conversation-with-podcast/ https://www.researchinpractice.org.uk/children/content-pages/podcasts/safeguarding-children-and-young-people-from-exploitation/ https://epthepod.podbean.com https://www.centreforsocialjustice.org.uk/podcasts/betraying-our-children-the-devastating-truths-of-child-exploitation-in-britain-today https://ssslearning.co.uk/podcasts/child-sexual-exploitation https://learning.nspcc.org.uk/news/2020/february/podcast-preventing-harmful-sexual-behaviour 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.