| prof. Julia Davidson, Kingston University, United Kingdom |
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BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE Julia Davidson is Professor of Criminology and is Director of Social Research at Kingston University, she is also Co-Director of the newly formed Centre for Abuse & Trauma Studies (with Professor Antonia Bifulco, Royal Holloway University of London).  Professor Davidson has conducted a considerable amount of research in the criminal justice area and has a PhD in Social Policy from the London School of Economics and Political Science. She was awarded an honorary Professorship at Royal Holloway, University of London in May 2009. She has extensive experience of applied policy and practice research and has directed work with young victims, serious violent and sexual offenders, criminal justice practitioners and sentencers. Recent funded work includes: a longitudinal study evaluating the impact of community treatment programmes on convicted child sexual abusers undertaken on behalf of the National Probation Service (2003); a study funded by the Metropolitan Police Authority and Crimestoppers, which sought to explore child safety on the internet and the role of the police in raising awareness amongst children about sexual abuse (2005); an evaluation and overview of approaches to risk assessment and management of Internet sex offenders funded by the Risk Management Authority (Scotland) (2007) and a exploration of young victims experiences and perceptions of the investigative process, funded by the Metropolitan Police Child Abuse Investigation Command (with Professor Bifulco, RHUL - 2007, ongoing). She is currently co-directing the first European study of Internet groomers with partners in Norway, Italy and Belgium the study is funded by the EC Safer Internet Programme. Professor Davidson is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. Professor Davidson has published extensively in the sexual and Internet abuse area and provides regular expert advice on criminal justice issues to the media and has recently worked on documentaries (she has worked with ITV Evening News, the ITV News Channel, BBC 24 news Channel, BBC Radio Four Woman's Hour, BBC Five Live Radio, BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour, BBC 2 , BBC Northern Ireland). The ITN Evening News team have recently run an extended news item on Professor Davidson's research, and the findings were also featured on the BBC Five Live Show. ABSTRACT 29 September, Tuesday, 10.30 – 11.00 Plenary session: Using Internet Offenders Accounts to Inform Young People’s Online Safety Practices The Internet is used by some adults to access children and young people in order to groom them for the purposes of sexual abuse. MySpace have recently expelled 29,000 suspected sex offenders and has been sued in the United States by parents who claim that their children were contacted by sex offenders on the site and consequently abused. The Internet also plays a role in facilitating the production and distribution of indecent illegal images of children, which may encourage and complement online grooming. Child grooming is a process that commences with sex offenders choosing an Internet target area that is likely to attract children. A process of grooming then commences when offenders take a particular interest in the child and interact with them with the intention of preparation for abuse (approaches can however be much more direct). The Internet has greatly facilitated this process in the virtual world. Offenders can now seek out young people via online games and social networking sites. Child sex offenders are forming online communities and bonds using the Internet. This paper draws upon recent research and police case studies in exploring what is known about Internet sex offender behaviour and considers how information about offender’s modus operandi might be used to inform safety programmes and practices with young people.
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