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62-505: Jennifer Fox is an acclaimed documentary filmmaker and professor in her 40s when her mother, Nettie, calls her in alarm after discovering an essay she wrote when she was 13. The essay is about a "relationship" Jennifer had when she was 13 which she dismisses as something she hid from her mother at the time so as not to upset her because her boyfriend was "older". After re-reading the essay Jennifer begins to research that period in her life. She imagines herself as being older and sophisticated but

124-519: A minor is someone under a certain age, usually the age of majority , which demarcates an underage individual from legal adulthood . The age of majority depends upon jurisdiction and application, but it is commonly 18. Minor may also be used in contexts that are unconnected to the overall age of majority. For example, the smoking and drinking age in the United States is 21, and younger people below this age are sometimes called minors in

186-512: A child are permitted only upon the age of 21. The minimum age to drive a HGV1 vehicle was reduced to 18. However, certain vehicles, e.g., steamrollers , require that someone be 21 years of age to obtain an operating license. In the United States as of 1971, minor is generally legally defined as a person under the age of 18. However, in the context of alcohol or gambling laws ( see legal drinking age and gambling age ), people under

248-637: A child online, such as the Florida law that makes "Use of a Computer to Seduce a Child" a felony . The Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006 18 U.S.C.   § 2252A(a)(6) has provisions to prevent the distribution of pornography to children for the purpose of persuading them to engage in illegal activity. It was first enforced federally against Alabamian Jerry Alan Penton in 2009. Penton received 20 years in prison for that action coupled with another 20 for his distribution and possession of child pornography. Minor (law) In law ,

310-486: A child through a computer system to commit a sexual offence (termed "luring a child"). In Costa Rica , since April 2013, the Criminal Code section 167 bis, makes it an offence to seduce a child by electronic means. With penalties from one to 3 years of imprisonment for a person that, by any means attempts to establish an erotic or sexual communication with a child under 15 years old. In Germany , under § 176 of

372-795: A child to keep secrets or who makes the child feel like they are special or important in a way that is inappropriate. Sexual grooming of children also occurs on the Internet. Some abusers (sometimes posing as children themselves) chat with children online and make arrangements to meet with them in person. Online grooming of minors is most prevalent in relation to the 13–17 age group (99% of cases), and particularly 13–14 (48%). The majority of targeted children are girls, and most victimization occurs with mobile-phone support. Children and teenagers who are highly curious and high-sensation-seeking are at higher risk than others. Facebook has been involved in controversy as to whether it takes enough precautions against

434-550: A civil servant. The news report mentioned other uses of the term "groom" that also had negative connotation, such as "groomed for terrorism" or "groomed to become suicide bombers". A 2022 report by the Christian Monitor, reported that the word "grooming" was now seen as "sinister". Instead of meaning "to prepare as a political candidate ... to prepare or coach for a career," the term had shifted in public discourse to mean "to befriend or influence (a child), now esp. via

496-421: A college student named Iris Rose who worked for Mrs. G. Jennifer tracks Iris Rose down who tells her that she, Mrs. G, and Bill had threesomes and that Mrs. G was actively involved in finding girls for Bill. This prompts Jennifer to remember that she was supposed to participate in group sex with Mrs. G, Bill, and Iris one weekend. Jenny, who threw up each time she was raped by Bill, had an anxiety attack and threw up

558-463: A dozen detainees under 16 from the adult prison population. Several dozen detainees between sixteen and eighteen were detained with the adult prison population. Now those under 18 are kept separate, in line with the age of majority and world expectations. Some states, including Florida , have passed laws that allow a person accused of an extremely heinous crime, such as murder, to be tried as an adult, regardless of age. These laws have been challenged by

620-616: A driving license for automobiles or issue or sign legal instruments . Crimes committed in Italy by minors are tried in a juvenile court. In all 31 states, a minor is referred to as someone under the age of 18. Minors aged 16 or 17 who are charged with crimes could sometimes be treated as an adult. In all 28 states and 8 union territories , a minor is referred to as someone under the age of 18. In rare cases minors aged 16 or 17 who are charged with extremely heinous crimes could sometimes be treated as an adult. The Civil and Commercial Code of

682-404: A hero, not a victim; this is the essay her mother finds at the beginning of the film. Jennifer goes to an awards ceremony where Bill is honored to confront him, calling him out as a child molester in front of his wife and the other attendees. Bill denies everything and leaves. Jennifer has a panic attack and goes to the bathroom, and imagines sitting with her 13-year-old self. In May 2015, it

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744-491: A lack of physical force and behavior that was counter-aggressive, using "persuasion of reward, attention, affection, money, gifts, or entrapment". "Sex-force offenses" used the threat of harm or physical force, such as "intimidation, verbal threat, restraint, manipulation, and physical strength." Ken Lanning is credited with being one of the first professionals using the term "grooming". He recalls it being used in conversations between law enforcement professionals, and pinpoints

806-1159: A measure to prevent online child grooming and protect children from child predators. Some characteristics of some religions can facilitate sexual grooming, including religious texts which justify sexual grooming, deference towards religious authority, unquestioned faith in persons with religious authority, spiritual punishments, power, patriarchy and obedience . Sexual grooming in religious setting can be within some religious institutions or outside of religious institutions in case of religious rhetoric. Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse found evidence for sexual grooming in religious settings for 38 groups. Examples of sexual grooming in religious settings include Catholic Church sexual abuse cases , Jehovah's Witnesses' handling of child sexual abuse , Rochdale child sex abuse ring , Adass Israel School sex abuse scandal and religious child marriage . Grooming has devastating impacts on victims, damaging their sense of self, eroding their ability to trust others, and severely impacting mental health. Children who are groomed may feel they are to blame for their abuse, and have difficulty placing blame on

868-509: A new crime law that establishes sexual grooming, voyeurism , and asking for sexual images of children under the age of 16 as crimes. On 1 January 2010, section 248e was added to the Dutch Criminal Code making it an offence to arrange online or by telephone a meeting with someone he knows or reasonably should assume to be a child under 16, with the intent of sexually abusing the child, as soon as any preparation for this meeting

930-483: A parent or guardian must be present during police questioning, or their names may be kept confidential when they are accused of a crime. For many crimes (especially more violent crimes), the age at which a minor may be tried as an adult is variable below the age of 18 or (less often) below 16. The death penalty for those who have committed a crime while under the age of 18 was discontinued by the U.S. Supreme Court case Roper v. Simmons in 2005. The court's 5–4 decision

992-601: A person can emancipate, and assume full responsibility from the age of 16. In Alberta , Manitoba , Ontario , Quebec , Saskatchewan , and Prince Edward Island the (baseline) age of majority is set at 18, while in British Columbia , Yukon , the Northwest Territories , Nunavut , Newfoundland , Nova Scotia , and New Brunswick the age of majority is 19. In the provinces of Saskatchewan , Ontario, New Brunswick, British Columbia, Nova Scotia,

1054-410: A remarkable Laura Dern." On Metacritic , the film has a weighted average score of 90 out of 100, based on 26 critics, indicating "universal acclaim". Child grooming Sexual grooming is the action or behavior used to establish an emotional connection with a vulnerable person – generally a minor under the age of consent – and sometimes the victim's family, to lower their inhibitions with

1116-492: Is liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 7 years. In England and Wales , sections 14 and 15 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 make it an offence to arrange a meeting with a child under 16, for oneself or someone else, with the intent of sexually abusing the child. The meeting itself is also an offence in its own right. The offence carries a maximum sentence of 10 years imprisonment and automatic barring of

1178-573: Is made. The maximum punishment is 2 years of imprisonment or a fine of the fourth category. The law in New Zealand states that it is a crime to meet up or intend to meet up to perform an unlawful sexual act with a person under 16 years. This is recorded in Section 131B of the Crimes Act 1961. This section is labelled ‘Meeting Young Person Following Sexual Grooming, etc’. Any person charged

1240-497: Is not a victim. However, she slowly begins to question whether her recollections are accurate and eventually realizes despite her protests she had been exhibiting symptoms of being sexually abused for years. She goes to visit Mrs. G who refuses to acknowledge her role in Jenny's abuse and asks her to leave. As Jennifer continues to investigate that summer, she realizes that Bill and Mrs. G were probably grooming other girls. She remembers

1302-421: Is not sharply defined in most jurisdictions. The age of criminal responsibility , of ability to legally consent to sexual activity, at which school attendance is no longer compulsory and thus a person may leave school , at which legally-binding contracts may be entered into, and so on and so forth, may be different from one another. In many countries, the age of majority is 18. In the United States, where

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1364-424: Is often tiered, so that a person who is over the age of criminal responsibility (but not of full age), will receive more lenient treatment depending on how old said person is (so for example, punishment will differ between an offender who is under 12, under 14, or under 16, at the time of a given offence, for example, with harsher punishments being received the higher the age of the offender in question). In Scotland,

1426-417: Is surprised at how small and childlike she appears in photos from that time. Jennifer's relationship began one summer when she attended an intensive horse training camp with three other girls. She lived with the beautiful and enigmatic Mrs. G, who also had Jenny and the girls run with professional coach Bill Allens, who was in his 40s. After the summer ends Mrs. G and Bill reveal to Jenny they are lovers. After

1488-606: The American Civil Liberties Union . An estimated 250,000 youth are tried, sentenced, or incarcerated as adults every year across the United States. Emancipation of minors is a legal mechanism by which a minor is no longer under the control of their parents or guardians, and is given the legal rights associated with adults. Depending on country, emancipation may happen in different manners: through marriage , attaining economic self-sufficiency, obtaining an educational degree or diploma , or participating in

1550-460: The Internet is already covered by Article 9 Convention) with particular reference to grooming both through the internet and by mobile telephones . Some nations have already criminalized grooming in their national legislation. Analysis of these laws suggests some may be redundant with existing legislation and/or practices. Australian Criminal Code Act 1995 section 474.26 and 474.27 prohibits

1612-515: The New York State attorney general's office for allowing users to create rooms whose names suggested they were being used for this purpose; that October, Yahoo! agreed to "implement policies and procedures designed to ensure" that such rooms would not be allowed. Computer programs have been developed to analyse chat rooms and other instant messaging logs for suspicious activity. As this can be prevented not only on platform level but also on

1674-477: The Strafgesetzbuch (Criminal Code) it is a criminal offence to entice a child (below the age of 14) into sexual actions or to use telecommunications to try to entice them into sexual actions or child pornography. In January 2020, the law was extended to include cases of attempted cyber grooming in which perpetrators "groomed" investigators or parents, believing them to be a child. In 2023, Japan adopted

1736-423: The United States , 18 U.S.C.   § 2422(b) makes it a federal offence to use the mail, interstate commerce, etc. to entice a minor to sexual activity for which any person can be charged with a criminal offence . 18 U.S.C.   § 2425 makes it a federal offence to transmit information about a person below the age of 16 for this purpose. Some states have additional statutes covering seducing

1798-431: The (minimum) age of criminal responsibility is 12. Things that persons under 18 are prohibited from doing include sitting on a jury, standing as a candidate, buying or renting films with an 18 or R18 classification or seeing them in a cinema, suing without a litigant friend, and purchasing alcohol, or tobacco products. Driving certain large vehicles, acting as personal license holder for licensed premises, and adopting

1860-439: The 1990s, the term grooming began to replace seduction as the most commonly used term. However, there was not "one official, legal, mental health, or even lay definition" of grooming. Growing awareness of chat rooms being used by pedophiles to target victims came to public notice, and the use of 'grooming' to mean "To win the confidence of (a victim) in order to a commit sexual assault on him or her" became mainstream. In academia,

1922-525: The Kingdom of Thailand does not define minor ; however, sections 19 and 20 read as follows: Hence, a minor in Thailand refers to any person under the age of 20, unless they are married. A minor is restricted from doing juristic acts – for example, signing contracts. When minors wish to do a juristic act, they have to obtain the consent from their legal representative, usually (but not always)

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1984-537: The United States became increasingly aware of child sexual abuse that happened to children from outside their family, committed by those who were not strangers. Previously, the focus of law enforcement had been on "stranger danger" and those who used threats of violence to ensure compliance from their victims. In these newly recognized sexual abuse cases, children were manipulated with a "combination of attention, affection, kindness, gifts, alcohol, drugs, money, and privileges." While there are examples before this time where

2046-489: The activity of non-violent offenders. By 1985, the Chicago Tribune had used the term, reporting "These 'friendly molesters' become acquainted with their targeted victim, gaining their trust while secretly grooming the child as a sexual partner." In the 1980s, the public in the United States became increasingly aware of child sexual abuse through the nursery school cases and abuse in religious settings . During

2108-414: The age of 21 may also sometimes be referred to as minors. However, not all minors are considered juveniles in terms of criminal responsibility. As is frequently the case in the United States, the laws vary widely by state. Under this distinction, those considered juveniles are usually (but not always) tried in juvenile court , and they may be afforded other special protections. For example, in some states

2170-402: The age of majority is also 20 years of age, but most of the rights of adulthood are assumed at lower ages. For all provincial laws, the provincial and territorial governments have the power to set the age of majority in their respective province or territory, and the age varies across Canada , with some provinces setting the (baseline) age of majority at 18 and others at 19. In some territories

2232-604: The age of majority is set at 18 by the Age of Majority Act (Northern Ireland) 1969 - (which directly corresponds to the former legislation, enacted in England and Wales). In Scotland , the Age of Legal Capacity (Scotland) Act 1991 sets out that the legal age of capacity within the country is 16. The (minimum) age of criminal responsibility in England and Wales, and Northern Ireland is 10. Sentencing guidelines in these three jurisdictions

2294-497: The age of majority is set by individual states, " minor" usually refers to someone under 18 but can in some areas (such as alcohol, gambling , and handguns ) mean under 21. In the criminal justice system a minor may be tried and punished either " as a juvenile " or " as an adult ". In Taiwan and Thailand , a minor is a person under 20 years of age, and, in South Korea , a person under 19 years of age. In New Zealand ,

2356-405: The appellant, aged 43, had pretended to befriend a nine-year-old girl but had done very little with her before she became suspicious and reported his approaches. He had many previous convictions (including one for rape ) and was described as a "relentless, predatory pedophile ". The Court of Appeal upheld a sentence of eight years' imprisonment with an extended license period of two years. In

2418-525: The behavior. They may also engage in hugging, kissing, or other physical contact, even when the child does not want it. When grooming techniques are successful, the resulting compliance of the child can be mis-interpreted as consent; and the child treated as if they were not a victim of crime. When the behavior is considered criminal, it can still be perceived as a lesser offense. Some offenders prefer sexual gratification from less obvious types of behaviors, and grooming behaviors in and of themselves are

2480-401: The camp, Jenny kept her horse with Mrs. G and continued to see her and Bill on the weekends. Eventually, Jenny began spending time with Bill alone. He began sexually grooming her, until finally raping her, telling her that they were "making love". When Jennifer's partner finds letters written to her by Bill, he says that she was raped, but she refuses to see it that way, proclaiming that she

2542-410: The child, which can be done by offering to babysit; the groomers may also invite the child for sleepovers, for opportunistic bed sharing. They might give gifts or money to the child in exchange for sexual contact, or for no apparent reason. Commonly, they show pornography to the child, or talk about sexual topics with the child, hoping to make it easy for the child to accept such acts, thus normalizing

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2604-398: The context of tobacco and alcohol law, even if they are at least 18. The terms underage or minor often refer to those under the age of majority, but may also refer to a person under other legal age limits, such as the age of consent , marriageable age , driving age , voting age , working age , etc. Such age limits are often different from the age of majority. The concept of minor

2666-443: The day before she was to go away for the weekend, causing her mother to keep her at home. Realizing she no longer wanted to be in a relationship with Bill, Jenny called him and broke up with him, even as he pleaded with her to stay. Unlike Bill, Mrs. G coldly accepted Jenny's decision to remove her horse that weekend. Jenny wrote about her time with Bill in an essay for school (calling it a work of fiction) in which she proclaimed herself

2728-450: The description of grooming strategies in online cases became distinct from the descriptions of pre-Internet grooming strategies. In 2008, a BBC report stated that "grooming" had taken on a pejorative meaning; no longer associated with animal care or mentoring, it had become associated with pedophiles and pedophilia. This caused outrage when the term "groomed" was used to describe the behavior of someone who had obtained leaked documents from

2790-586: The exception of drinking, which had been raised to 21 around the 1980s due to teen drunk driving cases protested by the Mothers Against Drunk Driving . The U.S. Department of Defense took the position that they would not consider " enemy combatants " held in extrajudicial detention in the Guantanamo Bay detainment camps minors unless they were less than sixteen years old. In any event, they separated only three of more than

2852-421: The film. It premiered on HBO on May 26, 2018. The Tale was met with critical acclaim. On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , the film holds an approval rating of 99% based on 81 reviews, with an average rating of 8.9/10. The website's critical consensus reads, " The Tale handles its extraordinarily challenging subject matter with sensitivity, grace, and the power of some standout performances led by

2914-460: The first known written description of the process of child grooming to a 1979 book written by Nicholas Groth, and the first printed use of the word grooming to a 1984 article by Jon Conte. At the beginning of its use, both grooming and seduction were being used to describe this type of non-violent offender, and Lanning recalls using both terms interchangeably. A January 1984 FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin used "seduction" and being "seduced" to describe

2976-411: The goal as they provide a chance to engage in a paraphilia . Signs that characterize child groomers include: a person who tries to communicate with a child online or in person in secret, outside the knowledge of the child's parents or guardians; a person who attempts to isolate a child from their friends or family, or who discourages the child from spending time with others;  or a person who asks

3038-474: The internet, in preparation for future sexual abuse." To establish a good relationship with a child and the child's family, child groomers might do several things: They might try to gain the child's or parents' trust by befriending them, with the goal of easy access to the child. A trusting relationship with the family means the child's parents are less likely to believe potential accusations. Child groomers might look for opportunities to have time alone with

3100-499: The legal gambling age and the legal drinking age are both 19, while in Alberta, Quebec, and Manitoba it is 18 which is the age of majority. Under cannabis laws, a minor means anyone under 19 in the country except for Quebec which has a legal age of 21, and Alberta which is age 18. In Italy , law nr. 39 of March 8, 1975, states that a minor is a person under the age of 18. Citizens under the age of 18 may not vote, be elected, obtain

3162-508: The objective of sexual abuse . It can occur in various settings, including online, in person, and through other means of communication. Children who are groomed may experience mental health issues, including " anxiety , depression , post-traumatic stress , and suicidal thoughts ." Before the term "grooming" was associated with grooming a child for sexual abuse, it had come to have a meaning of mentorship, coaching, or preparing someone for leadership. From 1975 to 1985, law enforcement in

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3224-452: The offender from working with children or vulnerable adults. The Protection of Children and Prevention of Sexual Offences (Scotland) Act 2005 introduced a similar provision for Scotland . Thus, a crime may be committed even without the actual meeting taking place and without the child being involved in the meeting (for example, if a police officer has taken over the contact and pretends to be that child). In R v T (2005) EWCA Crim 2681,

3286-599: The parents and otherwise the act is voidable. The exceptions are acts by which a minor merely acquires a right or is freed from a duty, acts that are strictly personal, and acts that are suitable to the person's condition in life and are required for their reasonable needs. A minor can make a will at the age of fifteen. In England and Wales , the Family Law Reform Act 1969 set the age of majority in both nations at 18 . While in Northern Ireland ,

3348-515: The pattern was recognized, it was during this decade that the FBI became aware of the pattern and criminal investigations began to be taken seriously in the United States. There was also growing awareness that offenders joined youth-serving organizations to gain access to potential victims. As an example, a 1977 study used the terminology "pressured sexual contacts" and "forced sex contacts" to distinguish two types of offenders. Sex-pressure offenses had

3410-437: The perpetrator. Survivors may perceive aspects of human connection as threat cues, and thus may find it difficult to fully engage mentally with simple positive interactions, such as affirmation or compliments. Many grooming tactics involve isolating a victim through fostering distrust or otherwise sabotaging other close relationships. This directly weakens the potential support network to process traumatic experiences, increasing

3472-468: The point of entry, it is recommended that parents establish safe environments for their children to use the Internet, with reduced risk of encountering cyber grooming individuals. Pedophiles and predators use online grooming to carry out cybersex trafficking crimes. After the pedophile gains the trust from a local cybersex trafficker, often a parent or neighbor of the victim, the online sexual exploitation will take place. Suspected offenders have used

3534-498: The risk of long-term psychological ramifications. Victims can be left having been both isolated from existing social connections, and finding it difficult to form new ones. In its report Protection of Children Against Abuse Through New Technologies , the Council of Europe Cybercrime Convention Committee addressed the emerging issues of violence against children through the use of new technologies (the issue of child pornography on

3596-717: The sexual grooming of children. Jim Gamble , leader of the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP) in the UK, said in 2010 that his office had received 292 complaints about Facebook users in 2009 but that none of the complaints had come directly from Facebook. A spokesman for Facebook responded to complaints by meeting CEOP directly in person, and said that they take safety issues "very seriously". In 2003, MSN implemented chat room restrictions to help protect children from adults seeking sexual conversations with them. In 2005, Yahoo! chat rooms were investigated by

3658-462: The so-called " fantasy defense ", the argument that they were only expressing fantasies and not plans of future behavior, to defend actions such as online communication. In the U.S., case law draws a distinction between those two and some people accused of "grooming" have successfully used this defense. In the US, an online privacy law, Children's Online Privacy Protection Act , has been misattributed as

3720-558: The use of a "carrier service" to communicate with the intent to procure a person under the age of 16, or expose such a person to any indecent matter for grooming. The various states and territories have similar laws, some of which use a different ages (for example the victim only has to be under 16 in Queensland). Such laws across Australia were recently strengthened in the wake of the murder of Carly Ryan . In Canada , Criminal Code section 172.1 makes it an offence to communicate with

3782-711: Was announced that Laura Dern , Ellen Burstyn , Elizabeth Debicki , and Sebastian Koch would star in The Tale, and Common , Jason Ritter , Frances Conroy , and John Heard were in the cast. It was also reported that the film was being shopped to foreign buyers at the Cannes Film Festival . At the time, it was expected that principal photography would begin that summer, however, it began in Louisiana on October 20, 2015, and wrapped two months later. In January 2018, HBO Films acquired distribution rights to

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3844-555: Was written by Justice Kennedy and joined by Justices Ginsburg, Stevens, Breyer, and Souter, and cited international law, child developmental science, and many other factors in reaching its conclusion. The twenty-sixth amendment to the U.S. Constitution, ratified in 1971, granted all citizens the right to vote in every state, in every election, from the age of 18, reducing the minimum ages for most privileges that had previously been set at 21 (signing contracts, marrying without parental consent, termination of legal parental custody) to 18, with

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