What if the greatest threat to your child isn’t a stranger in the shadows—but someone they already trust?
In this episode, Susan Chesnutt sits down with Erin Williamson to unpack the uncomfortable realities parents, caregivers, and professionals often miss when it comes to child exploitation. Through real-world experience and deeply human stories, you’ll gain clarity on how grooming actually happens, why kids don’t disclose, and how well-intentioned rules can unintentionally silence them. This conversation challenges assumptions, reframes safety, and equips you with language and awareness that could truly protect a child in your life.
In this episode, Susan and Erin Williamson discuss:
• How child exploitation actually develops in everyday environments
• The role of trust, secrecy, and silence in harmful situations
• Parenting strategies that prioritize safety over punishment
• The emotional and psychological barriers to child disclosure
• Systemic blind spots in identifying and labeling exploitation
Key Takeaways:
• [0:00:00] Give Children Permission to Tell Other Safe Adults – Children are more likely to disclose harm when they are explicitly told they can tell any trusted adult—not just a parent—because reducing secrecy lowers fear and increases safety.
• [0:15:07] Grooming Often Disguises Itself as Care and Stability – Erin explains that grooming commonly begins with attention, affection, and promises of protection, making exploitation emotionally confusing for children and easy for adults to overlook.
• [0:29:24] Prioritize Safety Over Rule Enforcement – When children believe they will be punished for breaking rules, they often stay silent; clearly stating that safety matters more than discipline makes honest disclosure far more likely.
• [0:41:31] Mislabeling Exploitation Limits Protection and Intervention – Erin highlights that once cases are labeled only as abuse, deeper questions often stop, allowing transactional exploitation to go unidentified and under-addressed.
“[A] child has not disclosed their victimization… because they wanted to protect the people around them… so worried that those people couldn’t handle it emotionally… that instead, they decided to carry that mental weight.”
– Erin Williamson
About Erin Williamson: Erin Williamson serves as the Chief Programs & Strategy Officer for Love146. She is responsible for leading the development, implementation, and operation of Love146’s US Survivor Care and Prevention Education programs.
Erin has over 20 years of direct service, program management, and applied research experience in the fields of social service and criminal justice, with particular expertise in the areas of human trafficking and child sexual exploitation. She has a Master’s in Public Administration and is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. Erin also sits on the US Department of Health and Human Services National Advisory Committee on the Sex Trafficking of Children & Youth in the United States.
Connect with Erin Williamson:
Website: https://love146.org
Email: erin@love146.org
Connect with Susan:
Website: www.thechesnuttlawfirm.com
Podcase: www.thechesnuttlawfirm.com/podcasts
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/susan-chesnutt-27077bb9/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thechesnuttlawfirm/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuBwfp_IVpeX-YHKpxZ5L0g
AVVO: https://www.avvo.com/attorneys/32960-fl-susan-chesnutt-3330241.html