Pedophilia refers to a psychiatric disorder causing a sexual preference for and attraction to children. Specifically, the pedophile is an adult who is sexually attracted to children who have not yet reached the age of puberty. However, the term pedophile is often used to refer to any adult who is sexually attracted to males or females below the legal age of consent. Most pedophiles are not violent toward children, instead leading and enticing children to willingly perform sexual acts, although some are violent to the point of rape and murder.

Experts believe that most pedophiles are males. Some female adults (and male adults) are sexually attracted to boys or girls, but these children are usually at or beyond the age of puberty. Sometimes, however, females sexually abuse children in concert with males, or they will knowingly allow males to abuse their own children or other children. This is more likely to occur if the women are abusing drugs and/or alcohol.

Pedophiles may believe that their behavior is normal and that it helps teach children how to become loving and affectionate. Such individuals avoid such words as pedophilia, preferring to use such terms as adult-child sex. They believe that others who do not understand their behavior are unreasonably rigid. Some organizations of pedophiles claim large memberships and actively support the practice of pedophilia.

Pedophiles may fail to consider the short- or long-term consequences of their actions; for example, in one case, a pedophile was told by a child whom he had met on the Internet that her mother was a police officer (which was a true statement), yet he molested the girl anyway.

In her article on the roots of pedophilia, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in 2005, Lynne Lamberg pointed out that much is yet unknown about pedophiles. Most studies of pedophiles are performed on people in jail or prison, and it is also true that many acts of sexual abuse are never reported.

Lamberg stated that in one study of pedophiles at Beth Israel Hospital, some individuals reported just one sexual act with a child, while others said they had committed thousands of such acts. About 60% of the subjects said they were themselves sexually abused as children. In addition, the study revealed that pedophiles have a greater likelihood than others of justifying their actions with cognitive distortions. Pedophiles may convince themselves that they have done nothing wrong.

Pedophiles may go to great lengths to gain the child's confidence before attempting a sexual act. However, in some cases a pedophile's desires are confined to fantasy only, and they are not manifested in any sexual acts with children. According to Cynthia Crosson-Tower in her book, Understanding Child Abuse and Neglect, fantasy is very important to the pedophile. Said Crosson-Tower, "He may fantasize sexual and emotional involvement with children and often act out his fantasies. Interestingly, the perpetrator projects his feelings of powerlessness and often perceives that it is the child who initiates the relationship."

The pedophile is often a person who is known to the child's parent(s) and is one who seeks to gain their trust as well as the child's trust. Of course the parents are completely unaware of the pedophile's intentions, in part because he or she hides the motives extremely well and also because pedophilia is beyond the imagining of most parents. The parents may also believe erroneously that they could detect a person who is a pedophile, because they imagine that such an individual would look or act like a bad person. They do not realize that evil intentions can be masked in a normal-looking and normal-acting person.

When their child is molested and sometimes murdered, these parents often blame themselves for failing to know that the person they trusted was a pedophile, and they greatly suffer as a result. However, pedophiles may be very clever, and in most cases, others would not have known that the individual was a pedophile unless he or she was previously convicted and they were aware of the conviction. Yet since the parents trust the individual, it does not occur to them to check out whether the individual has a criminal record--nor would it have occurred to others.

In one case, prior to the passage of laws on the registration of sex offenders, a pedophile thoroughly incorporated himself into a family by befriending the son. The son and the pedophile shared an active interest in sports, and the pedophile took the child to games and advised him on how to play better. When the trust of the child and the family was clearly obtained, the pedophile told the child's elementary school that he was supposed to pick up the child from school. The school allowed the child to leave with this individual, who subsequently raped and murdered the child.

Note that even with legal requirements of sex offenders to register with authorities, some offenders may move to another location or state, where they fail to register as a sex offender. As a result, children in the new community are at risk.

Pedophiles frequently develop a great deal of skill in meeting children and developing their trust. Formal and informal networks of child molesters are often used to share information on individual children or Internet sites.

Some pedophiles choose a job such as teaching or managing a video arcade that will bring them into contact with children. Others may volunteer to coach a children's team, serve as a scout leader or a babysitter or work in a similar capacity. Some pedophiles prey on children who use the internet.

Child pornography and child prostitution also play an important role in pedophilia. Pedophiles are the primary purchasers of child pornography. They are also frequently the suppliers of such material, often exchanging or selling material among themselves. In the past, such material was sent through the mail (which is illegal). Although it is also illegal to purvey child pornography on the Internet, it is far more difficult to monitor such activities.

Children are in great demand as prostitutes among pedophiles, who may travel to other countries primarily so that they may molest children.

According to Crosson-Tower, there are several different types of pedophiles. Fixated pedophiles regard themselves as children. Said Crosson-Tower, "As children, these perpetrators' needs were unmet, and having lost faith in adults they now look to children to meet their dependency and nurturing needs. They may find themselves at ease with children and become 'sexually addicted' to them."

Another type of pedophile is the regressed pedophile, who has no sexual interest in children unless adult relationships fail. Said Crosson-Tower, "He is often married, and, in fact, may prefer an adult partner if she validates his need to feel adequate. When relationships with peers are too conflictual, he chooses children. Frequently the onset of his molestation behavior can be traced to a crisis in his life. His relationship with a child becomes an impulsive act that underlies his desperate need to cope."

Pedophiles may entice children with gifts and affection or seek to convince the child of his or her importance to the pedophile. They may also use entrapment, to make the child feel obligated to the pedophile.

Said Fagan et al, in their article on pedophilia in a 2002 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, in describing information obtained from a study of child sex offenders, "the initial social contact with the child involved some nonsexual enticements such as purchases or flattery. Sexual conversation generally followed. A gradual progression from nonsexual touch to sexual touch happened with the purposeful desensitization ofthe child to the purpose of the touch."

Most pedophiles do not use physical force but rather rely upon psychological manipulation. When pedophiles do use physical force, it is used so that they may complete a sexual act. However, some pedophiles prefer physical force, and they are primarily those who are angry and who seek power.

Said Crosson-Tower, "The power rapist sees the child as weak, vulnerable, and unable to resist . . . Some rapists who have unsuccessfully tried to take their aggression out on adults may make children their targets."

Pedophilia is difficult to treat and dropouts and noncompliance to treatment are common, according to Cohen and Galynker in their 2002 article for Journal of Psychiatric Practice. Treatment involves individual therapy, group therapy and, among males, the use of androgen-suppressing hormones. In extreme cases, male pedophiles may opt for castration.

Therapy may help with the cognitive distortions that pedophiles often use, such as the excuse that the child wanted sex or even that it was the child's fault because he or she had enticed the pedophile. According to Fagan et al., "On average, 10% to 17% of offenders commit another offense after 4 to 5 years when untreated." As a result, treatment is extremely important. It is not always effective, but ignoring the problem will not prevent it in the future.

In the case of pedophiles who are on parole from prison, electronic surveillance and polygraphs (lie detectors) may be helpful in preventing further crimes.

Pedophiles who have been convicted of sexual acts against a child must register as sex offenders, which also involves complying with many rules; for example, they must notify law enforcement officials or other specific authorities of where they are living. If they move, sex offenders must notify the authorities in the new area that they are registered sex offenders. In addition, they may not take a job where there are children, such as driving a school bus or serving food at a school cafeteria. Law enforcement officials often notify the families of children living nearby that there is a registered sex offender among them.

States may also restrict convicted sex offenders on where they may live; for example, they may be restricted from living near schools, parks or other places where children congregate.

In extreme cases, sex offenders may be compelled into a civil commitment, wherein they must live in a prison or other institution because they are considered to be at very high risk of committing more sex offenses if they reside in the community, beyond the controlled environment of an institution. Some sex offenders have challenged this compulsion to be civilly committed after they have already served their prison sentences, but to date, they have lost all court challenges.

References:

1)         Cohen, L. J., and I. Galynker. "Clinical Features of Pedophilia, and Implications for Treatment." Journal of Psychiatric Practice 8, no. 5 (September 2002): 276-289.

2)         Crosson-Tower, Cynthia. Understanding Child Abuse and Neglect. Boston: Allyn & Bacon, 2005.

3)         Fagan, Peter J., et al. "Pedophilia." Journal of the American Medical Association 288, no. 19 (November 20, 2002): 2,458-2,465.

4)         Lamberg, Lynne. "Researchers Seek Roots of Pedophilia." Journal of the American Medical Association 294, no. 5 (August 3, 2005): 546-547.

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