Dehumanization in the Phenomenon of Child Grooming in the Digital Space: Amina Wadud’s Hermeneutics of Tawhid Perspective

Abstract

This study examines the phenomenon of child grooming in the digital space through the lens of Amina Wadud’s hermeneutics of tawhid an approach not yet explored by previous research, which has tended to focus on gender issues. The objectives of this study are to describe forms of dehumanization, analyze driving factors, and examine the implications of child exploitation in cyberspace. Using a qualitative method based on literature review and cyber observation of institutional data and digital traces, this study found that child grooming is a tangible manifestation of the exploitation of power relations that contradicts the principle of ontological equality in Tawhid. The research results show that dehumanization operates systematically through three dimensions of the digital space: the manipulation of false identity representations, the isolation of emotional interactions, and the failure of algorithmic regulation on platforms. The main driving factors include power relationship asymmetry, high social media usage, and a lack of emotional closeness within the family or a “fatherless” crisis. These practices have destructive consequences, triggering tonic immobility, cognitive manipulation, barriers to reporting, and psychological trauma that undermines children’s futures. In conclusion, Wadud’s theological framework exposes this crime as a multi-layered structural failure, not merely an individual deviation. This urgently calls for holistic interventions that include early sex education, supportive family communication, law enforcement, and reforms to digital platforms in order to break the chain of dehumanization and protect children’s dignity.