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Nari told adults she was being groomed but then she was shut out

Nari told adults she was being groomed but then she was shut out

Nari was a teenager when she was groomed online by a family acquaintance.

The former Tasmanian student says she was shut out of meetings set up in response to the abuse.

Sexual assault support services are advocating for children and teenagers to be heard when it comes to decision-making around abuse.

Nari* frowned at her phone when an incoming video call buzzed.

The Tasmanian teen had been in the middle of a reply text to a man called Ray*, who was a family acquaintance she met overseas two years earlier.

Content warning: This story contains details of grooming.

She was messaging to say it wasn't a good time to talk when he'd started calling her anyway.

When she answered the call, Ray was lying bare-chested on his couch.

The pair had met years earlier when Nari had visited her parents' home country.

They had later become Facebook friends and messaged each other regularly.

Nari had a dysfunctional home life and the decades-older Ray offered calm and reasonable conversation. He was someone who seemed to understand her.

Unlike her own parents, he called her names like "sweetie" and "beautiful" and "darling".

And he said that when she returned for another visit, he would teach her to drive.

But there was something about this call that made Nari feel uncomfortable.

In brief

Nari was a teenager when she was groomed online by a family acquaintance. Nari* frowned at her phone when an incoming video call buzzed. When she answered the call, Ray was lying bare-chested on his couch. The pair had met years earlier when Nari had visited her parents' home country.

This is the opening of the story, shared with credit to ABC News Australia. The rest of the report — with every detail — continues on the publisher’s website.

Continue reading at ABC News Australia ↗

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