PSYCHOCRIMINOLOGY.
CRIMINOLOGY 310 PART B.
STUDY UNIT 8.
CHAPTER 13. SEXUAL ABUSE OF CHILDREN.
After having studied this study unit, you should be able to explain paedophilia and general
paraphilias such as fetishism, voyeurism and exhibitionism broadly and you should be able to
apply the criteria for abnormal sexual behaviour to indicate why these types of sexual
behaviour are deemed abnormal.
Define the concepts “paedophilia”, “hebephilia”, “incest” (intra-familial
child molestation) and extra-familial child molestation.
Paedophilia (from the Greek word for child love) (paedo = child; philia=love)
- is the clinical term that is sometimes used interchangeably with crimes like child
molestation and child sexual abuse.
- Paedophilia is a clinical condition that is not necessarily accompanied by action.
- Can have a deep love of children and want to be in the company of children, doesn’t
always involve abuse.
- When criminal action is involved, even though we may refer to the offender as a
“paedophile,” this is not the official term. That is, the person is prosecuted for child
sexual assault, child molestation, child sexual exploitation, distributing child
pornography, or any one of a number of other sexual crimes against children.
- Essentially, “paedophilia” is a psychological or psychiatric condition that may require
treatment.
- It is included in the DSM-5 as a lifelong mental disorder, though it may fluctuate,
increase, or decrease with age.
- Paedophilia is defined in a variety of ways.
- The DSM-5 refers to it as: a condition in which “over a period of at least 6 months,
recurrent, intense sexually arousing fantasies, sexual urges, or behaviours involving
sexual activity with a prepubescent child or children (generally age 13 years or
younger) occur”.
- Note that the definition contains the terms “fantasies” and “urges,” which—by
themselves—are not criminal unless there is an accompanying action (behaviour) that
is against the law.
- The DSM-5 further specifies that some paedophiles are sexually attracted only to
children (the exclusive type), whereas others are sexually attracted to both children
and adults (nonexclusive type).
- According to Finkelhor and Araji (1986), paedophilia is an adult’s conscious sexual
interest in prepubertal children. One of two behaviours signifies that interest. Either
the adult has had some sexual contact with a child, or the adult has masturbated to
sexual fantasies or images involving children. Although the second behaviour is not a
, crime, criminal behaviour may have been involved in the procuring of the images,
such as downloading child pornography or soliciting the images from a child or
adolescent.
- Occasionally, researchers extend the definition of paedophilia to include ages 13
through 15, but most literature uses the term hebephilia for sexual contact by adults
with young adolescents.
- However, the distinction between hebephilia and paedophilia does not appear to be
clinically meaningful, so hebephilia is usually not considered a distinct, diagnostic
category.
- Traditionally, most nonclinical definitions of paedophilia were restricted to sexual
contact between an adult and child who are not closely related. Sexual acts between
members of a family when at least one participant is a minor has traditionally been
labelled incest or intrafamilial (within the family) child molestation and is most
commonly perpetrated by men who molest their sexually immature daughters or
stepdaughters. Sexual contact with immature family members by individuals from
outside the family is called extrafamilial child molestation. See table 13-1 for terms
and definitions.
Hebephilia = sexual contact by adults with young adolescents. Usually when seconday
sexual development occurs. (pubertal hair, armpit hair, develop boobs etc.)
A term closely related is the more all-encompassing paraphilia, which covers other
cognitions and behaviours in addition to those relating to children.
- Paraphilia denotes any intense and persistent sexual interests other than sexual
interest in genital stimulation or preparatory fondling with consenting human
partners.
- Examples of paraphilic disorders include repetitive sexual activity involving real or
simulated suffering or humiliation, such as whipping or bondage; strong preferences
for nonhuman objects, such as animals or underclothing or shoes of the opposite sex;
touching or rubbing against a nonconsenting individual (frotteurism); exposing
genitals to nonconsenting persons (exhibitionism); or spying on others engaging in
private activities (voyeurism).
- One object not seen as a paraphilia or seen as wrong in a normal consenting adult
relationship is a vibrator.
, Indicate to what extent “paedophilia” and “incest” differs.
The difference between paedophilia and incest is that a paedophile is someone with strong
sexual attraction toward children or someone who has frequent sexual contact with children.
Incest is when sexual activity between individuals of close blood relationship (for example, a
brother and a sister or parent and biological child) that is prohibited by law or custom.
So… the differentiating characteristic is that incest involves sexual activity between close
blood relationships and paedophilia does not, although it can.
Discuss the situational and victimisation characteristics of paedophilia in
detail.
In a comprehensive study, Williams and Bierie examined approximately 20 years’ worth of
data derived from the NIBRS that included several hundred thousand incidents from
thousands of police departments across 37 states. They found:
- that men who sexually abused child victims were more likely to target stepchildren or
distant relatives, whereas women were more likely to target their own biological
children or children for whom they provide care.
Similar findings were also reported by Johansson and Fremouw (2009) and West et al.
(2011). Cortoni (2015) notes that:
- according to stereotyped gender roles, a “normal” woman simply would not wish to
hurt a child.
