The Truth on Pedophilia

When you think of a pedophile you probably think of the weird guy lurking around schools and parks. However, they do not wear name tags saying “Hello, I’m a pedophile.” They can be woman or man, old or young. Most go under the radar and are the most unlikely person you would imagine. They are the mall Santa Clauses, the school crossing guards, seemingly devoted husbands and mothers.

Pedophiles are very friendly with children. They maybe married, but if so usually do not have frequent sexual encounters with their wives. They often have hobbies very similar to those of children. Each pedophile has a selected age group of children they prefer. They also are more likely to pursue children who appear to be withdrawn, have troubles at home, or are handicap.This is so that they can more easily manipulate their target. Single parents are often victims of pedophiles because they are preyed upon for their children. Many parents abuse their own children. In 1999, there were 93,000 known cases of sexual child abuse and of those cases half were committed by the  child’s own parents. Most pedophiles are reoccurring offenders and are in sexual contact with multiple children within a week’s time. Children are often drawn to their offender, this is most likely because the offender is very manipulative on a child like basis themselves. A strange but frequent phenomenon that has occurred is called Stockholm Syndrome. This is where the child bonds and grows affection for their offender(after the offense). This occurs for several reasons. One is that the offender forms such a close bond with the victim. Another is that the offender is very manipulative and can often mold the child’s mind into the affection. And also, many are told that what is happening is not wrong and is led into a false belief about the relationship between them and their offender. A common thought by many is that the victims are randomly chosen, this is untrue. Usually an offender will pick the child, fantasize about them frequently, and observe how to manipulate them best before beginning the abuse.

There are many theories regarding “why” these people would rather have sexual relations with a child opposed to those of similar age.Many feel that this is merely a fetish.Just as some others that may seem inconceivable or disgusting to some such as Apotemnophilia(someone who is aroused by having a body part amputated) or Formicophilia(someone who is aroused by having insects crawl on their genitals). Many pedophiles have been abused themselves as children. This leads many to think that perhaps they are reversing the role and that it is therapeutic to them.I would like to clear up that there is a difference between a pedophile and a child molester; pedophilia is a mental condition. Many know that their way of thinking or feeling is not normal and that it is wrong, however they cannot stop it, only attempt to control it. There are various forms of treatment for offenders such as being given antidepressants,a drug that blocks the progesterone hormone, therapy, and even castration. People who are found guilty of abusing a child rarely get treatment while incarcerated.