Actress Aurelie Moeremans recently surprised the public with her latest book entitled ‘Broken Strings’. In the book, he tells of his bitter experience of being a victim of grooming when he was only 15 years old.
The term grooming may sound foreign to some people, but its impact is very fatal because it involves unequal power relations between adults and children. Clinical psychologist, Arnold Lukito, explained that the main limitation in grooming is the presence of romantic relationships involving children under 18 years of age.
Arnold added that this process did not occur instantly, but rather went through systematic stages to ensnare victims through intense interactions.
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“So it means an adult who has a romantic relationship with a child. So we specifically refer to the grooming process as if there is a period of time where there is interaction, this could be a known person, it could be an unknown person,” said Arnold to detikcom some time ago.
This stage usually begins with a process of manipulation that looks sweet, such as giving a gift or simply asking you to go for a walk. However, as time goes by, the perpetrator begins to exert stronger control over the victim.
“Then there is a process of manipulation, for example by giving gifts or taking a trip like that, after a while there starts to be control. Starting to touch certain parts, there starts to be inappropriate physical contact,” he explained.
Why Does New Trauma Appear in Adulthood?
Why do victims, including Aurelie, often only realize or feel the impact of their trauma when they are adults? Clinical psychologist Anastasia Sari Dewi explains that child grooming is an adult’s attempt to gain benefits, both sexual and emotional satisfaction, through deception and persuasion.
At the time of the incident, children often experience confusion because they are not yet able to process the situation logically as an adult.
“Children can experience confusion, even trauma that may only start to emerge when they are adults. He realizes that his memories are still there, but because he is still a child, he is still abstract about the emotional sensations he feels,” said Sari.
As we get older, a person’s brain capacity and understanding of social values and personal boundaries develops. Past memories that were once considered ‘ordinary’ or ‘abstract’ are then reinterpreted through an adult lens, ultimately triggering intense emotional shocks.
“But as he gets older, new understanding emerges about various memories in his past, there is concern that the emotional reactions will be extraordinary, which will affect his mental health in the future,” concluded Sari.
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(KNA / KNA)
