The problem of Paedophilia

[Sejanus]

Okay so I didn't know where else to put this, so despite Off Topic being for "light-hearted" discussion -and discussion about Paedophilia is far from light-hearted- I put it here anyway.

(DISCLAIMER) I don't profess to be an expert in Paedophilia/mental disorders, and will concede on anything I've said/referenced should an expert in the field present their opinion.

But I digress.

Paedophilia is undoubtedly part of the human condition, it exists in pretty much all cultures across all time periods, and therefore shouldn't be so taboo that people can't discuss it openly. (When was the last time you talked about Paedophilia IRL?). I've included a poll to get a feel for everyone's thoughts on this highly controversial issue.
Paedophilia, from my rather brief internet research, can be defined as

"a psychiatric or mental disorder in which an adult or older adolescent experiences a primary or exclusive sexual attraction to prepubescent children, generally age 11 years or younger."

I think it's important to come to a consensus as to whether Paedophilia (as defined above) is a conscious act, i.e do people have control over whether they're attracted to children or not? I don't believe they do.
Attempting to find a professional opinion online yields only subpar results;

According to the APA, Paedophilia is not a sexual orientation, but is rather a "paraphilia".
Now, sexual orientation is generally unanimously accepted as beyond the conscious control of the individual (save by a few cognitively challenged members of the population that I won't mention here). But what about "paraphilia"?
But just what is a "paraphilia" I hear you ask?
Well, http://www.psychologytoday.com/conditions/paraphilias defines it as

"A paraphilia is a condition in which a person's sexual arousal and gratification depend on fantasizing about and engaging in sexual behavior that is atypical and extreme."

That definition is very broad, and doesn't really help clarify whether pedophilia is under the conscious control of the subject. It makes it sound almost like a fetish, and whether or not fetishes are consciously controlled is something I don't feel qualified to attest to (perhaps there are people here who are?)

The American Psychiatric Association distinguishes between Paedophilia as defined above and so called "Paedophilic disorder":
“Pedophilia refers to a sexual interest or profession of sexual preference devoid of consummation, whereas pedophilic disorder is defined as a compulsion and is used in reference to individuals who act on their sexuality,”

So we come to the problem of Paedophilia. If you think, as I do, that people have no control over having Paedophilic thoughts, and therefore should not be vilified for this attraction, what's to be done? Are they potential dangers to society? should they be monitored? treated somehow? According to sexologist Ray Blanchard, PhD, adjunct psychiatry professor at the University of Toronto, Paedophilia can be treated, or rather, "Paedophilic disorder" can be treated;

"Although most experts do not think a person's feelings of pedophilia are curable, therapy may help them manage those feelings and not act on them."

Do they deserve some outlet for their sexual desires? For example, is there anything wrong with them looking at cartoon drawings of naked children/animations of them, as long as no actual children were involved?

^ Here I am specifically talking just about people who are attracted to children, but have not acted on their attraction. I think anyone who molests a child is a criminal and should be incarcerated, as children are inherently unable to give consent.

I made the poll so that you are encouraged to choose more that one option. I thought it would also be interesting to see if there was a different response to the poll based on if the responders were Theists or Atheists.

[Aractus]

In my view it is a sexual orientation as real as heterosexual and homosexual orientations. Also note that there are some people who are attracted to much older people than themselves (men or women), and that may also seem "abnormal" to some. Some people have a combination of sexual orientations (i.e. bisexual people), others have little to no desire for sexual intercourse (i.e. asexual people).

The act of paedophilia is generally thought to be between an adult and a prepubescent child who is at least 10 years younger. Sometimes you hear people who have sex with teens described as paedophiles - in my view that's wrong.

The fact that a person has a sexual attraction to children in my view shouldn't be stigmatised, however certainly acting upon such urges is morally wrong.

---

Also, I met a woman who I suspected had been abused by her parents the other day (she didn't say, it's the vibe I got), and so I re-watched this very confronting documentary about Melvin Just:

http://youtu.be/lY4eHaiVK9s

Enjoy, if you dare.

[Mudhammam]

Why does it matter if you're an atheist or theist? If your views on it are identical?

[GrandizerII]

Why does it matter if you're an atheist or theist? If your views on it are identical?

Maybe he's trying to find out if atheists and theists tend to differ from each other on these views.

[Lemonvariable72]

Why does it matter if you're an atheist or theist? If your views on it are identical?

Because of how you arrived at those views. Atheism/theism can have a huge impact on that.

[Aractus]

Religious views often stigmatise those who suffer legitimate mental illness or express a sexuality that doesn't conform to what they believe is "normal". I think paedophiles should seek help from qualified psychologists to manage their urges and to avoid acting upon them and harming innocent children. It would be my view that most people who have such urges would never act upon them, just as most people who may have homicidal urges from time to time don't act upon them either.

[vorlon13]

Over the years I noted pedophiles at some 12 Step meetings I've been to. Some have talked at length about their incarceration/treatment at meetings, and I still don't have a good take on what's up in their orbit. I do know alcohol/drug use by a pedophile is bad news.

'Jim' (NHRN) has talked at length about his prison experience, but I think his experience was atypical. He was in for a variety of offenses, and for the most part I got the impression the other inmates knew little of his pedophilia. Why prison management would keep such information 'secret' is curious to me. 'Jim', in addition to the pedophilia, was convicted of tax issues, weapons, and drug offenses. The weapons issue even involved the secret service, does that confer 'status' in prison ?? 'Jim' does not correlate his pedophilia with addiction at all, as in a variation in 12 Stepping would be appropriate treatment for it. Rather, his take is that his preferred age of a sexual partner will maintain at persons ~25 years younger than himself. So, since he is over 43, he no longer has a problem. (I'm not buying this line, BTW, and I think the authorities think it is BS too as he is classified as high risk to reoffend)

'Jim' is restricted as a condition of his parole to not being around kids; his business is signed to prohibit kids, and at 12 Steppers, if we have someone attending under 18 years old, 'Jim' has to leave the meeting. 'Jim' has to attend a certain number of meetings per week, regardless. 'Jim' also has to remain gainfully employed, and he has to submit to periodic searches of his home and business. He also has to have a certain number of continuing counseling sessions with a court approved psychiatrist.

I'm at a loss as to what all that adds up to, other than 'Jim' to me at least, is committed to doing that absolute minimum he has to to stay out of jail and to keep the authorities happy.

On one occasion I called him a 'creep' to his face, and his reaction (instant rage) convinced me he is still screwed up and he knows it.

Not sure where that leaves the topic, sigh . . . . .

[Tonus]

So we come to the problem of Paedophilia. If you think, as I do, that people have no control over having Paedophilic thoughts, and therefore should not be vilified for this attraction, what's to be done?

I think that there are two separate things to consider. First: the issue of harm done to others. That requires action, such as laws and regulations that monitor and punish those who have molested children. Second: how pedophilia is viewed by individuals and society as a whole. I have no issue with people feeling sympathy for pedophiles if they feel that such urges are an ingrained part of their psyche, but that is separate from realizing that their actions can be devastating to others and must be curbed or punished.

I am not convinced that such urges are impossible to curb with proper psychiatric care, but I do not know enough about it to say that for certain. And I do think that given time we can learn enough to determine whether or not it can be 'treated or cured' or whether there is no recourse but to punish and monitor those who sexually abuse or assault children.

[Mudhammam]

So what is the scientific determination for what age qualifies as pedophilia?

[Jenny A]

I voted other, so I think I'm pretty much obligated to explain why.

First of all it's possible to agree with multiple answers without contradiction. Some of the answers are about what pedophiles are like, some are about whether pedophiles are bad, and some are about what to do with pedophiles. None of the answers differentiates between pedophiles who have actually had sex with a child and those who have not.

So, I think that:

Pedophillic thoughts are not intrinsically bad, but pedophillic actions are. Nevertheless, active planning of pedophilic behavior is bad. Continually thinking about something you shouldn't do isn't a great idea either.

Convicted and/or self confessed pedophiles should be assessed on a case-by-case basis and should be treated based on potential effectiveness of treatment. After release from prison, convicted pedophiles should be monitored and prohibited from jobs and volunteer positions working with children.

I really have no idea just how much pedophillic thoughts are under the conscious control of the individual, but I'm sure there is some control.

Pedophiles should be allowed an outlet for their sexuality (cartoons, etc), as long as children are not harmed. I'd agree with this generally, because I simply don't agree with victimless crimes. But I have no real idea whether it makes the pedophile more or less likely to act on their desires with real children. I think that whether it's a good idea should depend on that.

If pedophiles are deemed to be a potential risk to children by a medical professional, they should be isolated from the public/monitored.--- This one puts a hell of a lot of faith in medical professionals in an area where medical professionals track record isn't so good. I'd say without conviction of a crime, this one is a bad idea unless the pedophile volunteers.