7 years ago
8
Pedophilia: A Disorder, Not a Crime
THINK back to your first childhood crush. Maybe it was a classmate or a friend next door. Most likely, through school and into adulthood, your affections continued to focus on others in your approximate age group. But imagine if they did not. By some estimates, 1 percent of the male population continues, long after puberty, to find themselves attracted to prepubescent children. These people are living with pedophilia, a sexual attraction to prepubescents that often constitutes a mental illness. Unfortunately, our laws are failing them and, consequently, ignoring opportunities to prevent child abuse.
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http://nytimes.com
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As usual, our laws are fundamentally about punishment and not about prevention or support. What fun would it be to have empty prisons?
Criminal pedophiles most often get their deserved "treatment" in our jails/prisons.
As to pedophiles that are not "criminals" the laws are not "failing them", they simply don't apply. If they wish help, it's available.
Here's the disconnect though. People with mental illnesses in any form generally don't consider themselves as needing help. It requires a greater degree of self awareness than most people possess to consider oneself "abnormal" and to then do something about it.
The article proposes "law" for "protection from discrimination".
Would a new law only effect those under treatment? If so, what "treatments" might be covered/legitimate? Then there's the judgment as to what degree any patient is likely to offend. Would/should interested parties/employer be notified of negative progress/changes? The whole of the matter is too nebulous to even consider.
The article breeches the idea that if one was seen to enter a "group session" then they are outed, and discrimination follows. The "worst case scenario" is always offered as excuse, but rarely applies. No one is required to meet in an "advertised group session" unless court ordered. The option of one on one counseling is more oft the case, and can be pursued by any "non-committed" patient, thus confidentiality.
How does anyone identify a pedophile under self restraint, other than themselves?.......................... If it is to be left to "observers" then most/all guardians/caretakers of small children/infants could/would be suspect, and open all forms of abuses/allegations, such already exist in divorce/custody cases now.
"research, while often limited to sex offenders — because of the stigma of pedophilia " THAT"S why they don't take advantage of help. Same as most people suffering any Mental Illness, but with even more fear.
Counseling by any reputable agency/person insures "confidentiality", thus no "stigma", other than a patient's own actions.
"By some estimates, 1 percent of the male population continues, long after puberty, to find themselves attracted to prepubescent children.".... Even though they act like adults and do things that adults do... They have consent. They are guilty. For victims it's a crime; they will never be the same again.
The entire world has a sexualized youth fixation problem . Countdowns to 'Now she's legal'; Teenies in porn; 'Schoolgirl' porn; Hollywood's obsession with youth; Beauty pageants... And while most of it is not focused on Prepubescents, Pedophilia (at least in the legal sense) is considered to cover any underage (even up to nineTEEN). But, God forbid you speak openly about it. And like all the other societal problems, it can't be dealt with as long as it remains unspoken.