Fondling

: The touching of the private body parts of another person for the purpose of sexual gratification, without the victim's consent. This includes instances where the victim is unable to give consent due to age or mental incapacity.

In legal and safety contexts, is defined as the non-consensual touching of a person's private body parts for sexual gratification. It is classified as a serious sexual offense under various institutional and state frameworks, often falling under the umbrella of sexual assault or sexual misconduct. Legal and Technical Definitions fondling

: Legal statutes, such as those in Michigan , define "erotic fondling" as touching a person's clothed or unclothed genitals, pubic area, buttocks, or breasts (including developing breast areas in children). : The touching of the private body parts

: Law enforcement agencies report fondling incidents to the FBI’s National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) to help quantify national crime trends. Investigation Procedures It is classified as a serious sexual offense

: Educational institutions must disclose statistics for fondling incidents in their annual crime reports to the Department of Education .

Definitions of fondling focus on the intent of the actor and the nature of the contact: