Destruction_of_Innocence

Destruction of Innocence University of Idaho Human Sexuality 330 May 3, 2005 “I did not have a troubled childhood, my parents didn’t fight, I never went hungry, and I never ran out of toys. My family was close, not only did we live near each other, but we saw each other regularly. My grandparents would frequent the house almost daily and I could bank on seeing my aunts, uncles, and cousins weekly. Most of the adults worked, as did most people that we knew, and I found myself being baby-sat a majority of the days out of the week. We were fortunate however, because we had family close by and baby sitting was free from them. “When it was my uncle C—‘s turn to watch us, we did other things, things that I didn’t quite understand at the time. He had a game during which we would play tag, but each time we got caught we would have to take off a piece of our clothes. Afterwards we would take a bath, Uncle C— would oversee us, then we would all go to bed when we were dry. “It started out as a fun time when he came over but after a while it started to become the most dreadful thing. I didn’t like to play the game because I would get cold, but he made us, and when we were cold he would hold us to warm us up. I didn’t like the way he touched me, even though I didn’t quite understand what was going on. “This went on for at least a year, until my aunt heard the horror stories. Immediately following she filed for a divorce and made him leave her house. I have never seen him again in real life, but his face haunts my dreams. I think it is because of him that I am so loose when it comes to sexuality. I see my body as a way to profit in life. I strip professionally four days a week at a local club and bring in extra money doing it on the side whenever I get an offer. I make better money then most of the people that I know and I don’t need any special skills. I know that this way of life won’t carry me forever, especially now that I’m pregnant, so that is why I go to school on the weekends.” This was taken from an interview with a 20-year-old girl. She will be referred to only as K.D. because of the graphic and personal nature of the interview. She dropped out of school at age 15 and began living with her “friends” that were between the ages of 21 and 25. These men would trade her sexually for drugs. She didn’t know what to do because she felt powerless, at times she would almost think it was “normal.” She learned at a very young age about sex, her uncle introduced the notion and her “friends” reinforced it. Although pedophilia is not as common as people tend to believe it is, it does exist. Pedophilia is defined as “a condition in which sexual arousal is achieved primarily and repeatedly through sexual activity with children who have not reached puberty” (King 2005, 412). Pedophilia is a deviant, sexual persuasion and is terribly damaging to the children involved. It takes a rare individual to be sexually attracted to children, there are many factors leading to that kind of mind set, treatment is rare, and the after effects on the children are devastating. Accounts of known pedophilia are documented in ancient Greek texts, in fact the term means literally “Love of Children” in Greek. Elder men in Greek high society believed that information and knowledge could be passed anally from person to person. These men would then proceed to have anal sex with their young predecessors to pass valuable wisdom throughout high society. It is also known that ancient tribesmen would marry their young daughters to expand their territory and increase comradery between tribes, these young girls would then begin producing offspring as soon as they were able to increase their chance of propagating. Modern cultures greatly differ on their views of pedophilia. Attraction to teenage girls and the “school girl” uniform in Japan is a widely popular fetish, but in many cases it is illegal. In Brazil there have been many documented cases of actors, singers, and models dating and marrying before the turning of teenage years without social ridicule or judicial discourse. The portrayal of women as young girls in pornography is prevalent in the United States as well, even though there are many laws to protect young girls (Wikipedia 2005). Pedophilia is a specific disorder in a broader category of paraphilia. A paraphilia is “general term for a group of sexual disorders in which a person’s sexual arousal and gratification depend almost exclusively on unusual behaviors” (King 2005, 407). Even more specific in the realm of pedophilia are: Infantophilia or nepiophilia, sexual attraction to infants; Ephebophilia, is the condition in which adults are dependent on the sexual attraction to post pubescent adolescents; Pederasty, which refers to attraction toward male adolescents; and Lolita syndrome characterized by the attraction to female adolescents (Wikipedia 2005). A related idea, but not the same, is molestation which is “to subject to unwanted or improper sexual activity” (Dictionary.com, 2005) often with children. A molester may sexually abuse children but, unlike pedophiles, they will often be more attracted to adult men or women and may only offend for power. Pedophiles can be found in many corners of society, but they often share similar traits and fall into similar categories. Many pedophiles were abused as children and as a result they grew up with a skewed sense of reality, this type of pedophile is usually personally immature, they were robbed of social skills and were passed up early in life, their home life was damaged and warped and as a result they grew up without the proper training for life. This type of pedophile has never developed the skills to maintain a relationship with an adult and thus is forced to seek the company of adolescents. On a comparative scale, from least to most severe, these are the most “gentle” of known pedophiles. A second type of pedophile is the regressive pedophile. This type of pedophile is different in the respect that they are fully capable of holding a relationship with an adult partner, but due usually to a sense of sexual inadequacy, seek out children for a sexual release. These people usually report an “irresistible urge” and usually target children they don’t know. The influence of drugs and/or alcohol is generally the excuse for these types of offenders. Of all documented cases the third type of pedophile, the aggressive pedophile, is the most dangerous. This is the type people worry about the most, but luckily is the most rare. This is the type that the mere thought shoots terror into the hearts of parents everywhere. The aggressive pedophiles are the child rapists. These pedophiles need more then just sex with their victims, they are aroused by inflicting physical pain. These types of people also show many characteristics of antisocial personalities. Nearly 15% of all child molestation cases involve physical harm to the victims (King 2005, 449). Many child molesters and pedophiles are respectable, law-abiding people. They slip through the cracks because they are often shy, passive, and unassertive. Unfortunately there is no test that can be performed to single out pedophiles. They do not exhibit physical traits that can be examined nor do they have personality characteristics proprietary to pedophiles. Pedophilia could have possibly many attributing factors. One third of the known child molesters and pedophiles were abused themselves as children (King 2005, 449). Often also the deviant behavior begins early in life, usually in early adolescence, and persists to escalate as time progresses. Unfortunately pedophiles work their way into close proximity with children. They take jobs near schools, like teachers and janitors, but also in positions in the community, like boy and girl scout troop leaders. And often they will offend multiple times before they are apprehended. To date there is no cure or effective treatment for these individuals. The problem is embedded in their deep psyche and most pedophiles are not aware they are doing anything wrong. It is thought that once you have established these characteristics and developed these habits they will always be present. The best we can do and hope for is changing the ideals of the offender. It is near impossible to make a pedophile change the way they think, so typically what psychologists try to change is the interpretation of their thoughts. The pedophile is given other coping skills to adjust their thoughts to make them more rational. However horrific the act, the after effects are exponentially worse. Victims usually develop overwhelming anxiety and debilitating fear with relation to authority figures, loved ones, and sexuality. There is a significant correlation with panic disorder and a high prevalence of suicidal behavior. Often these problems get worse over time and are also amplified by drug and alcohol abuse and accompanied by sexual dysfunction and eating disorders. As the victims get older, they usually fall into four main categories. The first exhibits no detectable problems, this is usually attributed to memory suppression. This group is the most fortunate and rare, 10-30% will eventually develop issues regarding their trauma later in life (King 2005, 550). The second group shows very few problems, like anxiety, but these issues are usually non clinical and do not require major attention. The third and fourth groups encompass more than one half of all victims. Group three shows typically major symptoms, clinical depression and dangerously low self-esteem. And finally the fourth group suffers major psychiatric disorders such as post traumatic stress disorder. Many of all four groups suffer at some point from flashbacks. Sexually abused children often grow up with an extremely distorted view of reality. They often have trouble dealing with daily situations, developing healthy relationships, and trusting authority figures. Childhood is the foundation for adulthood and the abused people are missing large parts of the base. Because much of child abuse is from familiar people, like family, these children grow up without the trust that most people rely on in their daily lives. Despite all of this evidence there are still advocacy groups around the world that fight for the right to have sexual relations with children. Such groups as NAMBLA, the North American Man-boy Love Association, and MARTIJN, a Dutch based organization founded in 1982, describe themselves as “support groups for intergenerational relationships.” Even though NAMBLA claims to fight against rape, kid napping, and other immoral acts, they have still been criticized as homosexual pedophiles and many have been convicted of sexual offences against children, in fact, the founding of the group was brought forth after early members (nearly 100) were raided and indicted for luring children with drugs and video games and engaging in sexual activity (Wikipedia 2005). Beyond the advocacy groups there are support networks available to pedophiles. Places like Boychat.org and Annabelleigh.net offer forums and chatrooms in which pedophiles can converge and discuss acts of perversion and molestation in a “safe” manner. Other sites like The Human Face of Pedophilia (HFP) offer insight like, “If a child is ever to keep alive his inborn sense of wonder, he needs the companionship of at least one adult who can share it, rediscovering with him the joy, excitement, and mystery of the world we live in” (Human Face of Pedophilia 2005). HFP is a site that claims that pedophiles are individuals that have been demonized by the media and chastised by science and research. Their kind doesn’t get the chance to speak for fear of persecution. They also offer a question and answer forum for those searching for advice. Culture may also play an important role in deciding what kind of damage is done due to acts of pedophiles. A compelling argument is that of the Sambia of Papua New Guinea. This tribe believes that semen is not a naturally made substance, however, it is a substance that is “essential to the growth and development of young boys.” Boys, beginning around the age of seven, engage in homosexual oral sex with the teenagers of the tribe. As the boys get older they marry and have children and the young boys become teenagers, continuing the cycle. In this culture, homosexuality (other than that act), as well as masturbation, is completely absent (Barlow, 324). These children grow to live completely normal lives, they do not exhibit any of the symptoms common to children in Western culture. Pedophilia, in a culture like that in the United States, has devastating long-term repercussions, it damages the youth and creates new offenders, and is an incurable illness. Shockwaves rock the boat of society and the ripples continue indefinitely. “I hate my father! When I was growing up, my father would torture me when a relationship failed. My father married three times and dated on and off in between. He would spank and pinch me until I cried, then he would sexually abuse me until I was out of tears,” Dave K, “To this day I have not had a relationship with a woman, plutonic or sexual, I can’t stand the thought of them.” References Barlow, David H. (2003). Essentials of abnormal psychology. (3rd ed.) Pacific Grove, CA: Wadsworth–Thomsom Learning. Dictionary.com. (2005). Relativity. Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Retrieved March 20, 2005 from Dictionary Online on the World Wide Web: Http://dictionary.reference.com/search'q=molestation D, K. (2005, March 23). Personal Interview. The Human Face of Pedophilia is a site devoted to the advocacy of pedophilic feelings. It offers insight into an opposite side of what American culture deems wrong. (Http://hfp.puellula.org) K, David. (2005, April 9). Personal Interview. King, Bruce M. (2005). Human Sexuality Today. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education. Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. (2001-2005). Pedophilia. Retrieved April 4, 2004. from Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia on the World Wide Web: Http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedophilia