Exposing Grooming Tactics
to Keep Kids Safe from
Predators, Cults and Traffickers
When Your Child Turns 18 ...
Our Founder's Story
"As I write these words, it is my daughter's twentieth birthday, and the second one that she has been away from everyone’s lives who ever loved her. I had a vivid dream about her last night, as I do frequently. I arrived at a campground and she was there waiting for me.
We talked everything out.
We hugged.
She made plans to come home...
Then, as I always do,
I woke up...
* * * * *
When your 18 year old child empties her bank account to join a 35 year old 'boyfriend' 100 miles away - you have ZERO rights to intervene.
ZERO.
Flying Monkeys Founder discovers this the hard way when her daughter did just that, and forfeited attending college at her top choice school in order to go live with a 35 year old man who had 'groomed' her for 6 months online.
In an attempted intervention, police were called to the scene, and though the 18 year old was clearly psychologically entrapped, the police had no legal way to prevent her from leaving.
Two years and thousands of dollars paid to private investigators later, our best hope is that she is with a creepy boyfriend. Our worst fear is that she has been sold, or ...
Mother and daughter were truly the best of friends, 'the Gilmore Girls'. Step-dad was 'dad'. Daughter was a committed athlete, a high ranking student at a competitive high school, and always drove to parties so she'd have an excuse to NOT drink.
Curious about religion, she joined a number of online chats. A predator started grooming her, discovered she had a trust fund, and just 2 weeks after turning 18, she was gone.
If THIS kid was psychologically manipulated, what kid is safe?
In this and many other scenarios, teens are considered 'run aways' and not given much attention from law enforcement. Equally upsetting is that young adults are not even listed as missing persons when they 'leave willingly'. Even if they're leaving with a known pimp, drug dealer, or person who has psychologically entrapped them.
Most Kidnappings (under 18) and abductions (over 18) are NOT snatch and grabs. Far more often, victims are "groomed" or psychologically entrapped so that the victim is easily manipulated to obey their groomer and leave "of their own free will".
We want you to be armed through education; and prepared for prevention and intervention.
THE PREDATORS' PLAYBOOK ... EXPOSED!
Whether predators know it or not, experts across the globe have discovered that cults, sociopaths and human traffickers all follow the same basic 'steps' of 'grooming' to psychologically entrap victims. The problem is that very little has been published about grooming, so most people have no way to realize when it's happening to them. In other words, we can't see the red flags if we don't know what red is.
The Flying Monkeys Project exists to expose these steps in various methods to various audiences (children, teens, women, parents, educators...) so that we can recognize when someone is trying to take advantage, resist, and (when relevant) report to authorities.
The slides show is a summary of grooming techniques. We are working with experts in multiple fields to develop the workshop materials that will be provided for free to schools, universities, and houses of worship around the country to empower vulnerable populations and the people who care for them, so they can recognize predator tactics before they're in the predator's psychological prison.
What is a Flying Monkey?
"Flying Monkeys" is a term for a predator's assistants who, like then monkeys in "The Wizard of Oz", surround the potential victim, collaborating the predator's narrative, helping him (or her) to win trust. Though most often related to sex trafficking or cult solicitation, the flying monkeys can also be utilized by sexual predators or a 'creepy older man boyfriend person'.
We have portrayed the flying monkey in partial chains because these persons are often also victims who have been manipulated or forced to assist the predator, and may, themselves also be in need of rescue.
What Flying Monkeys Project Does
PREVENTION
Empowering children, teens, and women to Recognize, Resist, and Report grooming practices of abusers, cults, and human traffickers
With a variety of experts, we are developing:
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A series of workshops aimed at various audiences (children through parents) that can be downloaded and executed in schools, churches, and universities.
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A series of videos and workshops for various professions that need to be aware: educators, religious leaders, hospitality and public transit industries, and first responders, to name a few.
COLLABORATION
Collaborating with and supporting other organizations providing services to families and victims of predators
There is an abundance of organizations on mission in the realm of predators and human trafficking. But we've yet to find one dealing with grooming, specifically. As we fill this gap, we will be openly collaborating with other experts and organizations already diligent in this arena.
SUPPORT
Supporting FAMILIES of stolen loved ones, with services, referrals and community.
Supporting VICTIMS who are rescued or return home
FMP's founder had the resources to take a mental health sabbatical from work to search for her child, and resources for private investigators. Most of us would not have that financial margin.
So, phase 3 of FMP's plan is to develop a clearing house of support both for families dealing with the search for their lost loved ones, and for victims who are rescued to assist in their physical and psychological recovery.