Hi! I’m Gracie. I’m just a mom with a job and a mountain of stuff to do. I’m on a mission to figure out how I can help keep kids safe from predators. I call it my Innocence Project.
Being a pedophile hunter or decoy can be pretty mysterious work. Not much can be said about some aspects of it.
Within my online community contacts there have been reports of decoy work being done, of course with the hope of catching suspected predators. When I first considered how I would like to work to catch predators, this is the first thing that came to my mind. I think some people toy with the idea of being a pedophile hunter because of how satisfying it could be to catch a pervert with his or her pants off. However, the work is not just one night, or a week, often many months at a time. It’s also emotionally disturbing and potentially dangerous. There are some sick people out there.
Within hours of starting my Innocence Project, Ginger** introduced herself to me. I had heard a tiny bit about her work through some of my research. I just couldn’t resist the oportunity to ask a couple of questions. I am so pleased she agreed and I can share this information with anyone who might be interested.
Molly Belle Unsplash.com/@mollybelle
- Hi, Ginger! How would you describe what you’re doing as a decoy?
I would describe it as collecting evidence from individuals who seem to be predatory or are a high risk for offending. Then hopefully we can alert the police or at least the community.
It depends on the type of decoy is needed and what information needs to be learned about a potential predator. This determines how you go about the investigation. It feels a lot like being a detective, who is collecting clues right as the crime is being committed.
- What motivated you to get involved?
I was inspired due to the outrage and disgust I have for these predators. I wanted to make a difference by using my apearance and knowledge to my advantage and help bring these pedophiles down. However, I got involved by chance. I found that my appearance gave us (decoys) an advantage. For example, if a predator requests a photo of some sort of signal like holding up fingers or a note, I can do that. It makes the predator more at ease.
- Do you think people should do decoy work?
I think decoying can be a benefit and aide to investigations, as long as it guided by an organization that deals with these cases. I do not agree with individuals doing this on their own. There are terms and proceedures that have to be followed. This helps to keep yourself protected and the evidence valid for court.
Aliyah Jamous Unsplash.com/@aliyahjam
- What would you like to see change?
Social media companies need to become more aware about how these platforms are being manipulated by sexual predators. They need to have more restrictions on these platforms, such as, not allowing children to be on YouTube Live. They need to better at moderating of hashtags. There is sex trafficing right now under peoples noses. It’s awful.
Overall, the best way to combat this overwhelmimg problem is to teach children about these predators.
I’ve worked with people who will go on YouTube Live using the same hashtags that pedophiles use, to find the victims and raise awareness. They make children aware (of the problem) while they’re streaming live. Also, they’re teaching kids that the people in the chat are pedophiles. Then they know what tactics predators are going to try to use to victimize them. It’s giving these children the ammunition needed to combat these monsters.
- What advice would you give to someone who wants to help but just doesn’t know where to start?
I would say join advocacy groups. Academy Awareness is an awesome Discord group with loads of information. Plus, (you need to get familiar with it all, so) definately do some research for sure.
James Pond unsplash.com/@jamesponddotco
- Okay! Thanks for answering my questions. I have one last one. Is there anything you want people to know about predators?
I would like people to know that sexual predators are everywhere. They will look for any opportunity to find a kid. The internet makes it extremely easy to victimize kids. Please monitor your children’s social media accounts.
- Wow! Keep up the great work Ginger. Seriously. Please stay healthy and safe! I am so thankful that there are people like you who are willing to work so hard for no recognition or reward. You deserve so much praise.
If anyone is interested in more information about decoy work or pedophile hunting, please, please, please take a look at: https://exposingexploitation.home.blog/how-to-pedohunt/
Thanks for taking the time to stop by. It means a lot to me.
Comments, criticism and applause is always welcome.
Also be sure to check out Innocence Project on the twitter: https://twitter.com/Innocenceproje4
Gracie’s 1st article: https://steemit.com/introducemyself/@gracie-gardener/introducing-myself-i-want-to-make-a-difference
Gracie’s 2nd article: https://steemit.com/childexploitation/@gracie-gardener/my-innocence-project-begins
**of course Ginger is a psudonymn. That angel is flying undercover and I’m not going to do anything to change that.
Very salient point regarding how to even approach the difficulties surrounding wanting to do things like be a decoy for the greater good of child safety and preventing more victimization.
#OpChildSafety #ExposingExploitaiton #ChildSafety
Thank you. I worked very hard on this article and I’m pleased with how it turned out.
You got a 7.14% upvote from @minnowvotes courtesy of @aagabriel!
Congratulations @gracie-gardener! You have completed the following achievement on the Steem blockchain and have been rewarded with new badge(s) :
You can view your badges on your Steem Board and compare to others on the Steem Ranking
If you no longer want to receive notifications, reply to this comment with the word
STOPTo support your work, I also upvoted your post!
Do not miss the last post from @steemitboard:
Vote for @Steemitboard as a witness to get one more award and increased upvotes!
@gracie-gardener, thank you for supporting @steemitboard as a witness.
Click on the badge to view your Board of Honor.
Once again, thanks for your support!
Do not miss the last post from @steemitboard: