Here are the characteristics of a pedophile :
• Often the pedophile is male and over 30 years of age.
• Single or with few friends in his age group.
• If married, the relationship is more “companion” based with no sexual relations.
• He is often vague about time gaps in employment which may indicate a loss in employment for questionable reasons or possible past incarceration.
Pedophiles like child-like activities:
• He is often fascinated with children and child activities appearing to prefer those activities to adult oriented activities.
• He will often refer to children in pure or angelic terms using descriptives like innocent, heavenly, divine, pure, and other words that describe children but seem inappropriate and exaggerated.
• He has hobbies that are child-like such as collecting popular expensive toys, keeping reptiles or exotic pets, or building plane and car models.
Pedophiles often prefer children close to puberty:
• Pedophiles often have a specific age of child they target. Some prefer younger children, some older.
• Often his environment or a special room will be decorated in child-like decor and will appeal to the age and sex of the child he is trying to entice.
• Many paedophiles often prefer children close to puberty who are sexually inexperienced, but curious about sex.
Pedophiles work around children:
The pedophile will often be employed in a position that involves daily contact with children. If not employed, he will put himself in a position to do volunteer work with children, often in a supervisory capacity such as sports coaching, contact sport instruction, unsupervised tutoring or a position where he has the opportunity to spend unsupervised time with a child.
The targeted child:
The pedophile often seeks out shy, handicapped, and withdrawn children, or those who come from troubled homes or under privileged homes. He then showers them with attention, gifts, taunting them with trips to desirable places like amusement parks, zoo’s, concerts, the beach and other such places.
Manipulation of the innocent:
Pedophiles work to master their manipulative skills and often unleash them on troubled children by first becoming their friend, building the the child’s self esteem. They may refer to the child as special or mature, appealing to their need to be heard and understood then entice them with adult type activities that are often sexual in content such as x-rated movies or pictures. They offer them alcohol or drugs to hamper their ability to resist activities or recall events that occurred.
The stockholm syndrome :
It is not unusual for the child to develop feelings for the predator and desire their approval and continued acceptance. They will compromise their innate ability to decipher good and bad behavior, ultimately justifying the criminal’s bad behavior out of sympathy and concern for the adults welfare. This is often compared to stockholm syndrome – when victims become attached emotionally to their captors.
The single parent:
Many times pedophiles will develop a close relationship with a single parent in order to get close to their children. Once inside the home, they have many opportunities to manipulate the children — using guilt, fear, and love to confuse the child. If the child’s parent works, it offers the pedophile the private time needed to abuse the child.
Fighting back:
• Pedophiles work hard at stalking their targets and will patiently work to develop relationships with them. It is not uncommon for them to be developing a long list of potential victims at any one time. Many of them believe that what they are doing is not wrong and that having sex with a child is actually “healthy” for the child.
• Almost all pedophiles have a collection of pornography, which they protect at all costs. Many of them also collect “souvenirs” from their victims. They rarely discard either their porn or collections for any reason.
• One factor that works against the pedophile is that eventually the children will grow up and recall the events that occurred. Often paedophiles are not brought to justice until such time occurs and victims are angered by being victimized and want to protect other children from the same consequences
The legal definition:
Pedophilia n. an obsession with children as sex objects. Overt acts, including taking sexual explicit photographs, molesting children, and exposing one’s genitalia to children are all crimes.
The problem with these crimes is that pedophilia is also treated as a mental illness, and the pedophile is often released only to repeat the crimes or escalate the activity to the level of murder
Myths & facts about male victimization:
Violence perpetrated on males is far more common than most people realize. Throughout our culture sexual assault and intimate partner violence are two of the most misunderstood of all violent crimes. When the victim is male these misconceptions are dramatically compounded. The following are many of the myths and important facts about male victimization.
Myth: Far more females are abused as children than males.
Fact: Until the age of twelve, rates of sexual abuse of male and female children are approximately equal.
Myth: It is unusual for men to be sexually assaulted as adults.
Fact: Studies indicate that one in six men (excluding the prison population) are sexually assaulted in their lifetime.
Myth: Men cannot be victims of intimate partner violence, especially in heterosexual relationships.
Fact: Although it is much less likely for a man to be a victim and a woman to be an abuser, anyone can be a victim of intimate partner violence. Abuse is about power and control, not size or strength. Men can fall victim to abuse for the same reasons that women do.
Myth: Men who sexually abuse or rape boys or men are generally homosexual.
Fact: The vast majority of male sexual predators who assault men or boys are heterosexual. In fact, homosexual men are far less likely than heterosexual men to engage in sexual assault. Sexual assault has far more to do with power and control than sexuality. Over 50% of predators choose victims of either gender.
Myth: Women never sexually abuse men or boys.
Fact: Although far less common, women can be sexual perpetrators to both young boys and adult males.
Myth: Most male survivors of childhood abuse were assaulted by a family member or relative.
Fact: Although many men are survivors of childhood sexual abuse by a family member or relative, research indicates that adolescent boys are more likely to be abused by strangers or authority figures in an organization, such as school, youth group, athletic team, scouting, or church-related groups.
Myth: Males who are sexually assaulted are more likely to “become” homosexual.
Fact: Male perpetrators attack and abuse both heterosexual and homosexual boys and men. Studies have shown that male childhood sexual abuse has little to no affect on the development of the survivor’s sexual orientation.
Myth: Male survivors are likely to become sexual predators themselves.
Fact: Although most predators are survivors of sexual abuse, the vast majority of male survivors do not become predators.
Myths & facts about female victimization:
Rape is About Power, Control, and Anger. Think about the unthinkable. Don’t mask the facts about rape with myths and stereotypes. The Truth Is…
Myth: Rape is about sex and passion
Fact: Rape is an act of violence. It is an attempt to control and degrade using sex as a weapon.
Myth: Most rapes are committed by strangers.
Fact: It is estimated that 80% of rapes are committed by someone the victim knows.
Myth: Most rapes occur when women are out alone at night.
Fact: Nearly 6 out of 10 rapes occur in the victim’s home or in some other private residence.
Myth: Rape is an impulsive, uncontrollable act of sexual gratification.
Fact: Most rapes are planned. Studies have shown that between 60 percent to 75 percent of rapes are planned in advance.
Myth: Only young, beautiful women get raped.
Fact: Rapists attack women of all races, all ages, without regard to physical appearance.
Myth: Women enjoy being raped. Women secretly want to be raped.
Fact: Rape is a violent, often brutal, terrifying crime. No one wants to be raped.
Myth: Women who are raped were asking for it.
Fact: No one asks to be raped. A victim should never be blamed for someone else’s violent behavior.
Myth: Women frequently cry “rape.” There is a high rate of false reporting.
Fact: Studies show that less than 2% of rapes are falsely reported.
Myth: Women who say “No” really mean “Yes”.
Fact: When a woman says no, the answer is No.
Myth: I don’t know anyone who’s ever been raped.
Fact: Rape victims are doctors, teachers, nurses, students, social workers, engineers. It can be anyone. Chances are you do know someone that has been raped. However, the person usually keeps such information private.
Myth: Women owe men sex under some circumstances. If he bought dinner she “owes” him sex.
Fact: No one “owes” sex for anything, as human beings we should have the freedom to make sexual choices regardless of reasoning.
Questions and comments concerning this Article are greatly appreciated.
- Bird
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