Trigger Warning: Mentions of child sexual abuse
Nowadays, child sexual abuse is a global issue that a child faces. Many lives are so affected by these crimes, including the offenders too. According to the survey report of 2007 of the Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD), 53.22% of children face any form of sexual abuse.
High Court of Allahabad has dismissed the bail plea of a man who sexually assaulted a 13-year-old girl and observed, “Little girls are worshipped in our country, but the cases of paedophilia are increasing.”
There are many factors for sexual abuse. One among them is paedophilia. So what does this term mean?
What Is Paedophilia?
Paedophilia is a condition when a person has sexual attraction to pre-pubertal children. It is defined as recurrent and intense sexually arousing fantasies, sexual urges, or behaviour involving sexual activity with a prepubescent child/children below 13 years.
In paedophilia, a person is not attracted to the opposite sex but can also be drawn towards similar sex, depending on their choice.
According to World Health Organization (WHO), “Pedophilia is the fantasy or act of sexual activity with children who are generally age 13 years or younger.”
Thinking about the occurrence, it is found that this condition prevails in the male population with a higher possibility with approximately 3-5%. In contrast, it is just a small fraction of the female population.
Symptoms Of Paedophilia
According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), for the pedophilic disorder to be diagnosed, the following criteria must be met:
- Recurrent, intense sexual fantasies, urges, or behaviours involving sexual activity with a prepubescent child (generally age 13 years or younger).
- These sexual urges have been acted on or have caused significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning.
- The person is at least 16 years old and five years older than the child in the first category. However, this does not include an individual in late adolescence involved in an ongoing sexual relationship with a 12- or 13-year-old.
Causes of Paedophilia
The causes of this condition are still unknown, but some evidence has been found that it may run in families or get into someone genetically. A significant finding is that it may develop in a person who has a history of childhood sexual abuse.
Behavioural learning models suggest that a child who has experienced or observed some inappropriate sexual behaviour may have the same behaviour as they experienced.
Treatment of Paedophilia
Although there is no single treatment for paedophilia, several therapies can help reduce the intensity of sexual urges and desires.
Amanda Ruzicka, Director of Research Operations for the Moore Center for the Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse and Senior Research Associate of Department of Mental Health at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health state-
“There is no ‘one size fits all’ treatment for individuals with an attraction to children. Not everyone with an attraction to children has a hard time managing their attraction. Many would like support in dealing with the emotional distress and challenges that the stigma surrounding an attraction to children can cause.”
Treatment of paedophilia is now available in India too. The Program For Primary Prevention of Sexual Violence (PPPSV), funded and initiated by Bayer India, has taken awareness generation campaigns and prevention of paedophilia as their primary objectives.
Free and confidential treatment will be offered for people seeking therapeutic help with their sexual preferences.
This treatment option will be restricted to non-offenders.
So after getting to know about such a mental disorder, the main question which arises is,
How to Protect our Children from Paedophilic Patients?
- Always be involved in your kids’ life.
- Teach them about safe and unsafe touch.
- Tell them to trust their parents and support them in every situation.
- Teach them about sex education.
- Most importantly, teach them to say “NO” whenever they feel like it and raise their voices when needed.
- Make them learn some vital contact no’s like, 1098 (Childline), 100 ( Police) and parents contact number too.