why are there more paedophiles than there used to be?

Question

im pretty sure there are more paedophiles than there used to be.. am i right in thinking this? if so, why are there more now than they used to be? what is it about our society thats encouraging this sort of sexual deviation? and are people paedophiles because they just happen to be attracted to children (a bit like straight people just happen to be attracted to the opposite sex and gay people happen to be attracted to the same sex), or is it something different - eg are people attracted to children because they like the ability to rape or dominate or something like that?
thanks

Answer 1

Sometimes they were the victim of a paedophile when they were young, and they want to be the powerful one now, so they in turn become paedophiles.

Please remember that the majority of paedophiles are married men with families of their own.

I don't think the number of paedophiles has necessarily grown so much, but that this crime is now being reported a LOT more than it ever was in the past....I mean, when I was growing up, my next door neighbour was a paedophile. All the neighbourhood kids knew this. But we knew that it wouldn't do us any good to tell the police about him, because the police were just as guilty of keeping this type of behaviour "under wraps" as general society. The ex-neighbour finally went to jail at the age of 79 for raping his granddaughter, after being allowed to continue his aberrant behaviour for over 60 years. I testified at his trial, and was glad to have a hand at "putting him away".

Answer 2

Until recent times the word 'Paedophile' wasn't used at all. The nature of the sex crime used to be categorised so as to explain its precise nature. Now, however, the media has popularised the word 'paedophile'. Unfortunately, it seems to include those on the sex offenders register who may have committed actual sex with a young child as well as say, an eighteen year old having sex with a fifteen year old with consent, or, someone who has merely downloaded stuff off the Internet. It seems to me, therefore, that the word sheds more heat than light, and is too emotive, encouraging vigilantism. Even Pediatricians aren't safe.

I am sure you are right, however, the amount of sex crime has gone up from say 40 years ago. There is no shame these days, people have been encouraged to report it more, the rape laws have been broadened to include acts that would not have been included at one time. Pornography is much more available. Women are more sexualised, and, because of contraception, are far more likely to indulge in sexual relationships than they used to be. This sends out conflicting messages in society.

Answer 3

What makes a person a pedophile - both of your reasons. It depends on the individual.

As for whether or not there are more, I don't believe so. In the past, people did not talk openly about such things, so it just seemed it wasn't as much of an issue.

Also, things used to be considered bad - period. There was no grey area. There was no "It's not his fault, his mother used to wear a red dress on Sunday. Can you imagine? There's no wonder the poor man is messed up."

Prison used to SUCK. I'm sure it isn't a sunny holiday now either, but it wasn't a club that had satellite television, three squares a day, required exercise and fresh air, etc., etc. There used to be more deterrance from commiting crime.

Plain and simple, our softie, lovie-lovie, feelgoodism has bred a whole society who believe that nothing is your fault. You are not responsible for your own actions. There is always someone else to blame. So it is giving deviants - i don't want to say encouragement, but certainly not deterring them - the excuse they want to justify their sick actions.

Answer 4

~Crime rates are calculated by the numbers of crimes that are reported. The reporting agencies are the various federal, state and local police agencies. Thus, the most practical way to reduce the crime rate is to eliminate the police. The numbers of crimes won't necessarily change, but the rates will drop to unprecedented low levels. Since sex crimes are the current fad for the media and crime reporters and since more and more people are coming forward and because children are being educated about "good touch, bad touch", the SO rates are climbing. This doesn't mean there are more incidents. Likewise, more people are being falsely accused (especially by children and by 'the other parent' in nasty custody cases) and wrongfully convicted. Because the caseworkers and investigators (and later on, jurors) share the same mindset that "a child wouldn't and couldn't lie about something like that", the innocent accused is doomed from the get-go in these cases.

Answer 5

I'm not convinced that there are.

To some extent reporting these things was historically a sort of taboo. And having the courage to confront and report, as a victim, has got 'easier'

As a child we were always advised 'be careful of strangers' but it was never fully explained.

I don't believe that the media reports in a balanced way. There is a real danger, in my view, of the imbalance resulting in a society being chronically fearful of children's
well being resulting in promoting undue caution about friendship.

How often I have seen a child doing or saying something delightful and being reticent about vocalising it to them or their guardian for fear of being regarded as having undue interest in them. I am saddened by this.

Yet, too often the media reports other sexual behaviour as if it were some titillating diversion in our lives. I'm not prudish but I feel the balance is now out of sync with reasonable thinking.

Answer 6

Mike; I believe the ratio is the same as it was fifty years ago, and a thousand years ago. I think the number of paedophiles has remained constant, but in these days of multi-media, and open courts the perverted are being caught left right and centre. It is easier for the victims to come forward these days as the stigma of the abuse is becoming less & less of an issue, whereas the capture and punishment of the offenders are becoming more important than they were in the past.
So we hear more of it. We hear more of it because we are prosecuting them more and more. They have always been with us Mike. Only these days we are trying to save the children before they offend any more.

Answer 7

There is no evidence to say more paedophiles are around today as opposed to any other period in history. What they do get, however, is more limelight, if you want to call it that.

Tabloid newspapers especially use them to sell themselves. Look, everything of note that's happened socially in the past 40-50 years in the UK and America can be traced back to capitalism in some way. Our economy is our culture. Full stop.

Answer 8

There isnt more paedophiles now then there were before it is just that we know about them more now.
Before it was hidden but with the use of media technology such as the internet, it is more well known.
Also media such as newspapers and television have means of letting people know about these people and the risks which cause a 'moral panic' so are highlighted more.
Without the use of these mediums, it would still be virtually unknown.

Answer 9

No, I think we are just cracking down on it a lot more. It used to be a very taboo subject. If you went to Mom and said "Daddy's touching me" you would be told to forget about it (in many cases). Check out the movie the Magdalene Sisters, it's about the infamous "laundries" that girls would get sent to for crimes such as being the victim of rape.

And yes, pedophilia is very much a power thing. The mind of the sexual predator is still being studied, but it is believed that they enjoy the control. It's easy to make a kid keep quiet about that kind of abuse. You may not have to threaten him or her at all, but if you tell a kid that you'll kill his family or something, he's sure as hell going to believe you. Some pedophiles actually claim to be "in love" with their victims, but they are master manipulators. They have to tell themselves that to justify their horrendous actions.

As for it being a taboo subject, many people don't tell about abuse because they are ashamed of what has happened to them.

Answer 10

It is a media driven moral panic. Sooner or later they'll be passing laws to futher restict our freedoms, or to pry into everybody's internet usage. There are also a lot of people being falsley accused of this activity by heroid addicts. (I know!) Society is not encouraging this behaviour, but society needs the laws that frear of this behaviour will allow the governments of the world to pass. To put it simply, the media is generating fear of a probably non existant problem to allow the government to pass laws reducing our freedom. If you don't believe me, then just wait and see.