Think All Child Molesters are Pedophiles? Think Again. - The Mama Bear Effect
Categorizing those that sexually abuse children as predatory pedophiles is not only a common misconception – it’s also dangerous. It gives us a sense that offenders are easier to identify through grooming behaviors or a lack therof, and easier to understand – that they have a sexual perversion that can’t be cured. This makes it all the more difficult to understand how someone respected and well-liked could sexually abuse a child, and consequently convict abusers who do not have a pattern of behavior that people would believe would correlate with being a pedophile. For example, those that sexually abuse children may view adult pornography, creating a defense that they must be innocent because they do not exhibit signs of being sexually attracted to children. But, based on the evidence about sexual abuse, sexual attraction to children is not a prerequisite to sexual molesters of children. We think of sexual offenders as wolves waiting to pounce from the shadows, when in reality – it’s m
Categorizing those that sexually abuse children as predatory pedophiles is not only a common misconception – it’s also dangerous. It gives us a sense that offenders are easier to identify through grooming behaviors or a lack therof, and easier to understand – that they have a sexual perversion that can’t be cured. This makes it all the more difficult to understand how someone respected and well-liked could sexually abuse a child, and consequently convict abusers who do not have a pattern of behavior that people would believe would correlate with being a pedophile. For example, those that sexu
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