Of all the atrocities of this world, sexual crimes against children has to be the most demented. 

From babies being raped, to child pornography and even child marriage, it is no doubt that humans can truly be monsters when they put their minds to it. 

In our continuous fight to have away with every bit of it, this Twitter user chose to highlight an infographic posted by an Instagram page, which talks about the 6 steps predators take throughout the process of sexual grooming, ultimately leading to sexual abuse. 

So, what is sexual grooming?

Well, simply put, it is an adult befriending a child and influencing their minds as well as bodies, in order to eventually sexually abuse them. 

There are six stages to this disgusting process, and here they are:

Step 1: Picking out a Victim

Step 2: Gaining their Trust

Step 3: Baiting them

Step 4: Isolating them

Step 5: Getting them to Adapt

Step 6: Swearing them to Secrecy

As difficult as stopping it may be, there are a few signs parents, families and friends can look out for, in the hopes to minimizing the chances of sexual grooming from happening. 

They are:

#1 Checking if your child is being extra secretive. Don't be absent to who he/she befriends and know their whereabouts at all times. 

#2 Being aware if your child is doing any sort of underage drinking, or consuming drugs of any kind. 

#3 Looking out for any sexualized behaviour they may be exhibiting, especially if it's way before their time. 

#4 Inspecting if your child has gotten new belongings (expensive ones especially) out of the blue. 

#5 Talking to your child, making sure they are not upset, aloof, depressed or behaving a different type of way. 

#6 Keeping an eye on your child especially if he/she is spending a lot of time away from home and the family. 

These 6 signs could be the reason your child isn't being sexually groomed, so be sure to watch out for them. Besides that, you could also try other measures in order to prevent it.

Sexual grooming and sexual abuse among children happens more than we know. Educate yourself, the people around you, and spread the message.