Hollyoaks Dee Dee story puts female grooming in focus
Hollyoaks puts female grooming in focus through Abigail and Dee Dee, exploring abuse of trust while making clear sexuality is not the issue in this story.
Hollyoaks' Abigail and Dee Dee storyline places a woman in the position of the adult abusing trust and a teenage girl at the centre of the safeguarding story, bringing a female grooming dynamic directly into focus.
The announced storyline does not currently establish that Abigail develops a sexual or romantic relationship with Dee Dee. What has been confirmed is that Abigail will pursue a so called friendship with the teenager and use her position of trust to strengthen their connection.
That distinction is important because grooming does not require a young person to understand the relationship as romantic. Emotional closeness, secrecy and trust can all become part of the process when an adult deliberately creates a connection that crosses appropriate boundaries.
Dee Dee is also dealing with the death of Diane, meaning Abigail enters her life at a point of significant vulnerability. The comfort Dee Dee believes she is receiving is therefore very different from what viewers know about Abigail's intentions and responsibilities as the adult.
The female dynamic gives Hollyoaks an opportunity to show that safeguarding concerns should be judged by behaviour rather than assumptions about gender or sexuality. A relationship does not become harmful because two females are involved, and a same sex dynamic should never be treated as the problem in itself.
Instead, the focus is on Abigail's position of power, the boundaries she chooses to cross and Dee Dee's right to be protected by the adults around her. The responsibility rests with Abigail regardless of how the friendship is presented to Dee Dee or how comfortable the teenager initially feels around her.
Hollyoaks has developed the storyline with input from The Derwent Initiative and the NSPCC. Their involvement underlines that the central themes are grooming, safeguarding and the exploitation of trust rather than the sexuality of the characters involved.
If you have been affected by grooming or are worried about a young person, support is available. Contact Childline on 0800 1111 or the NSPCC on 0808 800 5000, and call 999 if someone is in immediate danger.
Hollyoaks is available through Channel 4 streaming, E4 and YouTube. Follow all the latest Hollyoaks news on SoapLandTV. Images: Lime Pictures.
