Mermaid's chatroom is dodgy af. What a shock.

It's evidently a bad idea for any social support group to include under 16s with over 16s, anyone can see that's open to abuse. I wonder who their safeguarding officer is? My child has cancer and none of the charities seem to have social media groups that are even open to under 16s, let alone mixing teens and adults. Wasn't there an excellent cricketer recently whose mum had to join her cricket team's WhatsApp group with her as she was a minor?!

Grim.

Thanks. Interesting to see PN editor Benjamin Cohen (husband a former Mermaids Trustee) so ardently involved in internet safety discussions.

A reminder that he founded the 'hunt4porn' webisite.

www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/benjamin-cohen-mum-this-is-my-porn-empire-9241375.html

JKR thread on the Bannerman story, and PN's take on it:

twitter.com/jk_rowling/status/1576255026456326145?s=46&t=prZcXhGybmtlz5O6Da08hA

Without fail every time something women raised concerns about happens we get cries of

" where are the feminists now/ where have the feminists been"

With no comprehension that they have been visited by police , fired ,been sent death/rape threats etc akd been blocked from every thread going amd/or thrown off twitter /thrown out of groups.

Somehow its still our fault

Everyone knew.

Everyone in authority turned a blind eye.

Cos trans is trendy.

This. I am sure concerns have been raised about mermaids chat rooms before.

NSPCC and Childline's approach to safeguarding:

I agree. Let's not forget who Childline appointed as its first LGBT+ campaigner:

Colour me shocked.

A disgusting abuse of power. As Red says, from the top down.

It's rotten to the core and so many children and families have paid the price, sadly.

I don't agree about Childline. If they do the checks as they say in The Times, then either they've had a rocket put up them (seeing the incoming and £££-making potential and need to be squeaky clean), or what I've seen on there is apparently OK by them. I would say it's not.

Don't forget who oversees Childline - the NSPCC. Sorry but no. Not reassured at all.

And they all knew. Everyone knew. They all ignored it and/or threw mud at those raising concerns, hoping it would go away. It hasn't. The only reason it's still going is because of parents and the fourth estate. Not the very people whose actual job it is.

I think the fact that they see no issue with 12 year olds potentially chatting and swapping details with 18/19 year olds says it all really. Has anyone there had even the most basic safeguarding training I wonder?

So secure. Much safeguarding:

ico.org.uk/about-the-ico/media-centre/news-and-blogs/2021/07/ico-fines-transgender-charity-for-data-protection-breach-exposing-sensitive-personal-data/

🙄

I could never understand why the criteria to join the Parent Forum was so more stringent than the criteria to join the Youth Forum (ages 12-19).

Well, I could say why I think but my post would be deleted!

'held on our secure system'

Fucking hell. Given their track record on understanding any level of security or safeguarding, saying 'we are secure' without explanation means bugger all.

Mermaids has just made one poorly thought out decision after another. And are now wondering why its coming back on them.

They are incompetent.

At last some reasonable scrutiny. I agree Arabella, I thought the comparison with Childline was both excellent and instructive. Mermaids' practice was appalling. I hope the Charity Commission opens a full investigation and closes them down, using their funds to help heal the children they have damaged so badly.

Jesus H Christ, that is horrific.

Well they do ring and “check” but it’s a casual conversation. Anyone could spin any tale. (though should make clear, my complaint to the CC was in 2020 and it’s possible they are more rigorous now, although clearly in 2021 they still didn’t require ID checks)

mermaids: ohai there, you want to join our yoof forum, you are Joe Bloggs you're 15 and you live at 75 Festival Avenue?
Potential member: yeah I wanna join, I am he, I am 15, I have lived at this address for 5 years
mermaids: okay, you're in
/
end

I mean, surely NOT?

A chilling article and completely predictable.

I'd love to say I'm shocked.

Of COURSE they ring and check, there are no liars or truth-economical types out there, there are never any adults grooming young people now, are there?

Ooops, the second screenshot for above didn’t post

Joining the parents forum was FAR more rigorous than joining the Youth Forum which I think is madness.

They had no idea who was joining the Youth Forum because scant checks were carried out, not even an ID check. There was one specific poster who spoke in such detail about “their” experience with GenderGP (and in complete glowing terms) that I seriously wondered whether they were an adolescent or a plant.

As recently as 2021 they still weren’t doing any ID checks for the under 18s (can’t speak for more recently)

Everyone knew.

Everyone in authority turned a blind eye.

Cos trans is trendy.

Adults making decisions obviously should be allowed for children. Cos it's completely the same. (face-palm)

Other agencies and charities have to demonstrate safeguarding of children.
Mermaids thought this didn't apply.

Other agencies and charities have to demonstrate transparency and accountability.
Mermaids thought this didn't apply.

Best practice and ethical conduct using evidence based approaches are sacrosanct everywhere else. Mermaids deliberately and purposefully aligned itself with individuals and organisations that had been discredited as doing neither. That was an invitation to scrutiny as it suggested Mermaids themselves are doing similar.

All the way through Mermaids is a cavalier attitude to consensus of well being of children. It comes from Susie Green down - when standards were too high in the uk, she bypassed them. Mermaids encouraged similar without thought to why those standards and barriers existed in the first place. And to hell with the consequences and whether this is in the best long term interests of children. Mermaids knew better.

Mermaids freely admit they aren't medical experts. They freely admit not reading up on ethical and medical concerns. Mermaids simply 'know' because ideology comes before all this and they are above knowing the latest position on formal assessments of whether harms may be occurring.

Children were treated as masters of their own destiny, regardless of their ability to consent or comprehend. Cos this was irrelevant, because Mermaids says children just 'know'.

Mermaids have acted as if the only bad players out there are evil parents and evil doctors and no one else will seek to exploit vulnerable children.

Allowing the sharing phone numbers with strangers? Good fucking Lord, where we're they at the stranger danger or internet safety classes? They teach this shit to 6 year olds.

Fuck them. I hope the whole thing comes crashing down and the rightful prosecutions are made.