The difference between pedophilia and sexual violence in children

News about pedophilia is always colored by acts of sexual violence against children. Actually, not all pedophile perpetrators commit acts of physical sexual violence against children and that is different. These actions can occur when fantasies get stronger and lead to criminal acts.

Pedophilia and sexual violence against children

Cases of sexual violence against children continue to occur. Not long ago, Bareskrim revealed a case of kidnapping a child by a 48-year-old man with the initials JP.

One of the victims was a 12 year old boy whom he had kidnapped since he was 8 years old. During the 4 years of being kidnapped, the victim was forced to beg and accept sexual violence from the perpetrator.

"The motive of the crime is to use children to be exploited economically by being asked to beg and busk as well as being sexually exploited," said Kombes Ahmad Ramadhan, Kabag. National Police Public Relations Division Penum.

Ahmad revealed that the perpetrator was a pedophile (someone who has pedophile behavior).

Cases of sexual violence against children often involve the words pedophilia or pedophile. Although in fact not all sexual crimes against children are committed because the perpetrator has a pedophile disorder and these two things are different.

It is important to know the main factors that a person commits sexual violence against children in order to determine the appropriate treatment measures.

The American Psychiatric Association (APA) says the term pedophilia is often wrongly defined as acts of sexual violence against children. This is an often debated topic.

The difference between pedophilia and sexual violence in children

In a mental health diagnosis manual, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder, pedophilia is classified into the category of paraphilia. This category is a mental disorder that involves sexual attraction to an uncommon sexual object or activity.

People with pedophilia have strong and recurring sexual behavior or fantasies in children, generally children aged 13 years and under.

Pedophilia is a disease and not a crime. Pedophilia and sexual abuse of children are two different things.

Sexual abuse by adults against children is a crime and a serious moral flaw. Not all perpetrators of sexual crimes against children suffer from pedophilia, the crime could be due to many other factors.

These factors include the influence of narcotics, alcoholism, or motivation with a desire to dominate or control other people.

Pedophilia disorder can lead to sexual violence against children if they cannot control their fantasies. That doesn't mean that everyone with pedophilia embodies their fantasies in children.

James Cantor, a clinical psychologist at the Center for Sexuality in Toronto, Canada, says it is important to know the difference between these two terms and not to define pedophilia as an act of sexual abuse in children.

According to him, this labeling is unfair for people with pedophilia who have never committed a crime. There are groups of people with pedophilia who suppress their fantasies and have never committed crimes.

"That's a group that we need to study. The person we want to be a client, someone who is aware of the urges of his fantasy and is willing to learn to manage it, ”said Cantor.

Defining pedophilia as an act of sexual crime against children can make people with pedophile behavior refuse to seek professional help.

According to Cantor, they are afraid of being stigmatized by society, losing their jobs, losing their families and fear of being reported.

Whereas with professional help, people with pedophilia can be helped to get out or suppress their fantasies and look for healthier objects. With the handling of pedophile patients, the possibility of reducing cases of sexual crimes against children committed by them will decrease.