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If there's imminent danger or threat call 911
623-688-3214
National Human Trafficking Hotline - 1-888-373-7888 TTY: 711 Text* 233733
Cyber Tio Line
Homeland Security Human Trafficking Reporting Site
The National Grooming Prevention Hotline is devoted to education and early awareness around
potential grooming with the intent to exploit. We do not respond to active trafficking situations
or operate as law enforcement. Our role is to provide education, guidance, and connections to appropriate authorities, community resources, or trauma-informed therapists, helping individuals recognize warning signs early and take informed, preventative steps.
Child Grooming:
Grooming a child is a manipulative process where an adult builds a relationship with a child to gain their trust and lower their inhibitions, often with the intent of sexually abusing them. This can involve emotional manipulation, gifts, and isolating the child from their support network.
Adult Grooming:
Adult grooming for sex is when a sexual predator builds a relationship with an adult to abuse and exploit them. The groomer often comes across as charming and helpful at first, but uses trust to control, isolate, and abuse their victims emotionally, physically, and sexually. This process is the most common way adults and children end up in sex trafficking situations. In toxic or abusive relationships, grooming can create a false sense of extreme emotional connection and dependence, making the victim more vulnerable to physical, emotional, and sexual abuse.
The goal is to stop grooming before it progresses to trafficking, as in most cases the authorities cannot get involved until a crime has been committed.
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Identifying and targeting the victim.
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Gaining trust and access.
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Playing a role in the person's life.
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Isolating the person
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Creating secrecy around the relationship.
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Initiating sexual contact.
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