Understanding Grooming: How Traffickers Target Victims
Human trafficking doesn’t always begin with violence. In fact, it rarely does. More often than not, it begins with trust. Traffickers understand that to control someone, they first have to connect with them. They don’t typically snatch victims off the street. Instead, they study them, identify their needs, and position themselves as the answer. Many victims are not taken by force, but drawn in by false promises, emotional manipulation, and carefully calculated affection.
What Is Grooming?
Grooming is the calculated process a trafficker uses to build trust with a potential victim before exploiting them. It’s manipulative, intentional, and deeply psychological. While grooming can happen to anyone, traffickers often focus on individuals who are isolated, vulnerable, or in need of emotional support, traits common among teenagers, runaways, and foster youth.
This process can take place over weeks or even months. To everyone else, it can look like a friendship or a romantic relationship. But underneath the surface, it’s about control.
How Grooming Works
Grooming follows a general pattern, though each case can be different. Here are common stages traffickers use to manipulate their victims:
1. Targeting Vulnerability
Traffickers often look for young people who are struggling—emotionally, financially, or socially. Social media, schools, malls, parks, and group homes are common hunting grounds. They might look for signs of low self-esteem, family conflict, or unmet needs. In fact, according to the National Center for Youth Law, youth in foster care, those who identify as LGBTQ+, and homeless teens are significantly more likely to be targeted.
2. Gaining Trust
Once someone is targeted, the trafficker begins to build trust. This may look like a friendship or romantic interest. They’ll often listen, compliment, and affirm the person in ways they may not be receiving elsewhere. Traffickers know exactly what to say. They make the victim feel seen, heard, and valued, setting the emotional hook.
3. Filling a Need
Whether it’s offering a place to stay, buying gifts, or providing emotional support, the trafficker positions themselves as a “rescuer” or provider. They might buy clothes, pay a phone bill, or offer free rides. These small “kindnesses” can create a sense of obligation and dependency.
4. Isolation
Over time, the trafficker slowly encourages the victim to cut ties with family and friends. “They don’t understand you.” “You don’t need them.” This isolation reduces outside influence and makes the victim more reliant on the trafficker.
The grooming process often happens right under the noses of parents, educators, and mentors. A trafficker might be someone the victim met online, or someone already in their daily life. In fact, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s CyberTipline received 20.5 million reports of suspected child sexual exploitation globally online.
Traffickers are not always strangers. They can be classmates, family members, or someone posing as a boyfriend or girlfriend. Knowing what grooming looks like is not about fear—it’s about awareness. Prevention starts when we recognize the signs.
At Freedom 4/24, our mission is to prevent and end human trafficking before it begins. Grooming is a silent first step traffickers rely on, and that’s exactly why we can’t afford to ignore it. You don’t need to be an expert to make a difference. Learn the signs. Share this knowledge. Talk to your kids. Support prevention education in your community.
To report suspicious behavior, if you suspect grooming or trafficking, call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888 or text “BEFREE” to 233733. If you have faced exploitation and would like assistance accessing resources, call the Freedom 4/24 office at 434-582-4517.