Barrie
04-09-2009, 10:01 PM
There is a spectrum of people who commit sexual crimes against children. They range from "incestors" on one end to "pedophiles" on the other. Incestors tend to be be people with self esteem issues, who might be drunk, who have an opportunity to rub up against a tender young body and so take advantage of the situation. Sex with a peer might be too threatening, maybe just at that point in their life, so they take advantage of a child. They are actually more attracted to adults, but a child is easier at the moment. They don't go after children or cultivate relationships with children.
People in this end of the spectrum often feel great remorse and are treatable.
People towards the middle might include individuals who were victims of child sexual abuse in the past, maybe they are drinking or especially lonely, and have an opportunity to take advantage of a child. Again, they might also be attracted to adults. People who have experienced trauma in childhood can have what psychologists call "repetition compulsion" which causes them to act out what was done to them. They are considered quite treatable. They usually feel remorse unless they are also sociopaths.
Pedophiles at the other end of the spectrum are sexually attracted to children, less or not at all to adults. They cultivate relationships with children, they seek out vulnerable children. They can have many victims over many years. They don't need to be drunk, lonely, etc., they just are attracted to children. Many psychologists doubt if they are treatable, however, probably no one knows for sure.
Most sexually abused children are victimized by incestors, the most treatable perpetrators. However pedophiles individually have many more victims.
Generation Five in San Francisco is a non-profit whose goal is to end child sexual abuse in five generations. They do a lot of work with male victims of child sexual abuse.
People in this end of the spectrum often feel great remorse and are treatable.
People towards the middle might include individuals who were victims of child sexual abuse in the past, maybe they are drinking or especially lonely, and have an opportunity to take advantage of a child. Again, they might also be attracted to adults. People who have experienced trauma in childhood can have what psychologists call "repetition compulsion" which causes them to act out what was done to them. They are considered quite treatable. They usually feel remorse unless they are also sociopaths.
Pedophiles at the other end of the spectrum are sexually attracted to children, less or not at all to adults. They cultivate relationships with children, they seek out vulnerable children. They can have many victims over many years. They don't need to be drunk, lonely, etc., they just are attracted to children. Many psychologists doubt if they are treatable, however, probably no one knows for sure.
Most sexually abused children are victimized by incestors, the most treatable perpetrators. However pedophiles individually have many more victims.
Generation Five in San Francisco is a non-profit whose goal is to end child sexual abuse in five generations. They do a lot of work with male victims of child sexual abuse.