GREEN ISLAND, Hanover — Children’s Advocate Diahann Gordon Harrison is urging parents and coaches to be on the lookout for women who frequent sporting events and prey on young boys for gratification.

While Gordon Harrison told the Jamaica Observer it is too early to describe this as a trend, she said coaches at the community level have noted the behaviour and she became aware of it approximately two years ago.

“Give an eye here because we’re seeing when we have our little football matches or basketball [matches] and so on and we are seeing grown women, in their 30s and 40s who are not parents — all along we thought they were. But then we realised that they’re actually there because they are interested in the footballers who are still students, who are still student-athletes. It means that they have academic responsibilities as well and they are being looked at by these women who have all sorts of intentions towards them,” said Gordon Harrison, who is also the national rapporteur on trafficking in persons.

Older women seeking sexual relationships with younger men are informally referred to as cougars.

An article in the Journal of Aging Studies published in January 2014 states that the term cougar is relatively new.

“According to lexicographer Barrett (2007), it appears that the term first became popular in North America after the 2001 publication of a self-help-type book by Valerie Gibson entitled Cougar: A Guide for Older Women Dating Younger Men. However, Barrett traces the word’s origin to 1999 when a dating website designed to match older women and younger men was founded, as was later documented in a 2001 article in the Toronto Globe and Mail,” the journal article states.

Gordon Harrison’s revelation of the behaviour locally was made during Thursday’s conversation on trafficking that explored the theme ‘Unmasking the Game: A Look at Human Trafficking in Sports’. The event was held at Princess Grand Jamaica Resort in Green Island, Hanover, to mark World Day Against Trafficking in Persons.

Gordon Harrison suggested that parents take greater interest in what is happening and that coaches keep their eyes open for anything that seems unusual. She also called for conversations to be held in homes, in communities, as well as with children and players within the different sporting arenas.

“[It goes] right back to prevention — which means educating our coaches so that they call us when these things are happening so that the investigation can flow. And also, in terms of building the awareness of the players, ensuring that sometimes as the coach on the ground you are protecting them from themselves. Because sometimes, they feel special, [they think], ‘Hey, look who’s checking me out!’ But we have to help children protect themselves. We have to protect them from what they may see as an attractive situation to say, ‘No, this is not what we’re about’,” stated Gordon Harrison.

Also addressing the forum, president of the Jamaica Track and Field Coaches Association David Riley said the issue is not unfamiliar, though it may come as a surprise to some.

“Sometimes we tend to think that predators are only males, and it is an incorrect construct. We think that females don’t prey on young boys,” he noted.

Riley was pleased that Gordon Harrison raised the topic.

“It was good for her to mention that case because those are real issues. We tend to ignore those things and hold men to different standards than we hold women. This is exposing the fact that we need to be aware of all persons and not have a very narrow view which might cause us to ignore some of the warning signs that would lead some of our kids down the wrong path. It is definitely something for us to be mindful of — that trafficking can be on both sides and the predators can be both male and female,” he said.

Children’s Advocate and National Rapporteur Diahann Gordon Harrison speaking at a conversation on trafficking entitled ‘Unmasking the Game: A Look at Human Trafficking in Sports’ in Hanover last Thursday.