| Often we misuse the words 'pedophile' and 'child | | | | desires. It is more of a criminal activity and |
| molester'. We tend to use 'pedophile' to all offenders | | | | sometimes the victim just happens to be a child. So, |
| who sexually abuse children. But these two words | | | | child molestation does not really require a paraphilia |
| are different in meaning. | | | | disorder. |
| A pedophile refers to a man or woman who has | | | | Preferential child molesters have a true sexual |
| recurrent, intense sexually arousing fantasies, urges, | | | | preference for a child. These preferences include |
| or behaviors involving pubescent or prepubescent | | | | gender and age. They usually maintain such desire for |
| children. The offense must occur over a period of at | | | | life. They have the same distinct pattern of behavior |
| least six months for a person to be called a | | | | in seducing children, like buying them gifts. They tend |
| pedophile. | | | | to be more intelligent and most of them are decent |
| Pedophile is one case of a paraphilia, a psychosexual | | | | people and use the technology, such as computers |
| disorder. Paraphilia is not a type of child sexual abuse | | | | and webcams. Some prefer prepubescent children |
| crime. This disorder causes a person to fantasize | | | | and lost interest on them when they start getting |
| children sexually. But fantasizing, although alarming, is | | | | older. They can be identified by certain behaviors like |
| not illegal. If the person act out his fantasies or | | | | having an unusual interest in children and is willing to |
| engage in the actual sex with children, he will now be | | | | give them large amount of money, time and energy, |
| charged of the crime, thus, making him a child | | | | and having a collection of child-oriented pornography. |
| molester. In other words, a pedophile is not | | | | Mary Kay Letourneau, America's most famous female |
| necessarily a criminal. When he sexually abuses or | | | | child molester, was involved with a 13-year old boy. |
| exploits children, he now becomes a child molester. | | | | The youth was one of her students. They had two |
| There are two types of child molesters, situational | | | | daughters, of which one was born inside the prison. |
| child molesters and preferential child molesters. The | | | | Not all pedophiles are child molesters and not all child |
| first one does not have a true preference for | | | | molesters are pedophile. You cannot distinguish them. |
| children. They molest a child for different reasons, | | | | Most of them are very kind, since they always talk |
| which sometimes has nothing to do with sexual | | | | to children. |