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Common knowledge of how society works stands as sufficient proof to how wide is the array of mental disorders that have a significant impact on what is specific to certain offenders. The purpose of this thesis is to raise the level of awareness regarding the degree in which such persons, duly diagnosed with this type of deviant behaviour, pose a threat to society, and to also consider the response to such conduct, which should consist in security measures that are able to contain urges of such kind, desires that most of the times escape some of the aggressors’ ability to control on their own. Therefore, we emphasise that, in order to prevent more people from falling victim to such persons, a firm reaction of the legislators is considered mandatory, followed by a similar reaction from the judicial bodies, especially in regard to those who admit and accept the fact that they suffer from this type of conditions, as we are about to demonstrate.

This Commentary is a subjective personal appraisal of the book in question rather than an objective Review. The rationale for this approach is presented. The author of the book engages with a series of "landscapes", real and metaphorical, in his quest to "trail" child sexual abuse (CSA) in Britain over the last half century and more in its material reality and its representation in public discourse. It is an interdisciplinary work intended to sit at the intersection of diverse research areas: sexual violence; the history of sexuality; social and cultural history; media history and media studies; medicine and psychiatry; sociology and policy; criminology, law and sexual offending; childhood and family studies. Despite the titular focus on "sexual violence" against children, no definition of the term is offered in the book. It is a critical omission, with major ramifications, from a work that is otherwise studiously attentive to the changing language through which taboo acts of sexual engagement with children have been conceived and represented in media and other public discourse. The author's use of the "sexual violence" concept is vigorously contested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quantitative studies have found that although most of the general public holds negative attitudes towards people with paedophilia (PWP), a range of views exist. Nevertheless, these studies provide limited insight into the specific details or variety of attitudes or emotions. This qualitative study aimed to better understand public attitudes towards PWP by exploring how the public reacts to talks about paedophilia given by credentialled experts on social media. Seven such talks, which met our specific inclusion criteria, were selected from YouTube, and public comments on these talks were analysed. The top 100 comments of each video were selected, followed by a saturation strategy. This led to 1234 comments being coded and thematically analysed. Six key themes and eight subthemes were generated, thematically grouped into Haters (sub-themes: 'violent' and 'sophisticated'), Critics (sub-themes: 'victim erasure' and 'not a sexual orientation'), Fence-sitters (sub-themes: 'ambivalent' and 'dispassionate arguers') and Supporters' (sub-themes: 'implicit confirmers' and 'compassionate supporters'). These themes reflected a spectrum of views. At one pole, Haters exhibited absolute abhorrence and a desire to dismiss the speaker, whilst, at the other pole, Supporters showed empathy towards non-offending PWP and endorsed the speaker's perspective. Extremely polarised conversations, commonly evidencing anger and sarcasm and emphasis on the concept of help, were found across dissenting voices. These findings help us better understand the variety of public attitudes and responses to expert-delivered information on paedophilia. The effects of perceived social attitudes on PWP well-being and help-seeking behaviours, which can help prevent offending, require further exploration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents the findings of a historical, qualitative thematic analysis of archival clinical records of 24 men convicted of child sexual abuse and referred for civil commitment to the Massachusetts Treatment Center between 1959 and 1984. Drawing on the perspective of Cicourel, the study examined the differential ways men convicted of child sexual abuse were constructed by various criminal justice actors based on the gender of their victims. Overall, the study found that men with male victims were constructed as more deviant than men with female victims. The study’s findings thus contribute to the research literature on the historical pathologisation and criminalisation of homosexuality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Existential philosophy is an infinite conversation across time and space, yet why are some voices idolised whilst others are exiled? This paper explores the encompassing phenomenon of colonialism through the lens of disciplinary decadence, advocating a paradigm shift away from a culture of exclusion and denial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores arguments within American psychiatry from the 1950s around whether rapists were mentally ill. It analyses debates in the lead-up to the various editions of the American Psychiatric Association's (APA's) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) from 1952 to the latest version in 2013, focussing particularly on a diagnostic category called 'Paraphilic Coercive Disorder' (PCD). Since the first DSM, American psychiatrists had routinely considered people who committed certain forms of sexual violence to be suffering from mental disorders. For example, 'Paedophilia' and 'Sexual Sadism' had always been considered valid diagnoses. However, the APA refused to pathologise non-sadistic sexual violence committed against adults. Opposition can be classified into four overlapping arguments: uncertainty about 'normal' male sexual aggression, feminist worries about 'excusing' harmful sexual behaviours, concerns about the misuse of psychiatry in courts, and the need to defend the psychiatric profession from encroachments on their 'territory' by non-medically trained psychologists, social workers, and anti-psychiatric activists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the appearing accusations against some clergymen of sexual abuse of minors, the church legislator has been consistently tightening the canonical criminal law for many years. The purpose of this action is to ensure the protection of children and young people. This is done in three areas. The first is building preventive systems, the second is the promulgation of substantive penal norms, the third is the creation of a lex specialis on the basis of the existing formal law on procedures aimed at punishing perpetrators, and thus redressing the scandal and compensating for the violated justice. Penal material norms play an important role in the entire system of protection of minors. The most recent amendment to the Code of Canon Law listed sexual offenses committed against minors and their equated persons as acts against human life, dignity and freedom, and therefore considered them the most serious canonical offenses. Basing on the earlier norms, the church legislator first criminalized the broadly understood sexual acts committed against these people, further defined as criminal activities aimed at seducing or persuading them to present themselves in pornographic scenes, and finally included the broadly understood acquisition, storage, presentation and disseminating pornography with images of minors. The definition of these crimes is often broader than in state legislation. Additionally, in the last amendment, the legislator extended the concept of an entity capable of committing this type of crime. Thus, another amendment to the canon law increased the scope of protection for minors and their equated persons

Due to the appearing accusations against some clergymen of sexual abuse of minors, the church legislator has been consistently tightening the canonical criminal law for many years. The purpose of this action is to ensure the protection of children and young people. This is done in three areas. The first is building preventive systems, the second is the promulgation of substantive penal norms, the third is the creation of a lex specialis on the basis of the existing formal law on procedures aimed at punishing perpetrators, and thus redressing the scandal and compensating for the violated justice. Penal material norms play an important role in the entire system of protection of minors. The most recent amendment to the Code of Canon Law listed sexual offenses committed against minors and their equated persons as acts against human life, dignity and freedom, and therefore considered them the most serious canonical offenses. Basing on the earlier norms, the church legislator first criminalized the broadly understood sexual acts committed against these people, further defined as criminal activities aimed at seducing or persuading them to present themselves in pornographic scenes, and finally included the broadly understood acquisition, storage, presentation and disseminating pornography with images of minors. The definition of these crimes is often broader than in state legislation. Additionally, in the last amendment, the legislator extended the concept of an entity capable of committing this type of crime. Thus, another amendment to the canon law increased the scope of protection for minors and their equated persons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Children constitute vulnerable section of the society, and governments have moral responsibility to safeguard their interests and safety. It does so by enacting various laws and providing framework for its implementation. Child sexual abuse (CSA) is widely prevalent in all societies and World Health Organization has promulgated broad guidelines against such practices. There are enough provisions against such perpetrators in India and suitable amendments have been provisioned based on inputs from various sections of the society. This article delves into the provisions of the act, its medicolegal application, and psychodynamics of such behaviors among the perpetrators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gendered norms construct teaching young children in Early Childhood Education (ECE) as a 'feminine profession' and as 'women's work'. Subsequently, men whoteach young children are often scrutinised. One troubling factor confronting men entering the profession is the construction of men as potential paedophiles. Scholars in the Global North have shown how a conflation of homosexuality with paedophilia positions gay men as actual and potential paedophilic perpetrators. We present a view from the Global South which demonstrates how South African male ECE preservice teachers favour gay men as teachers of young children. Gay men were depicted as feminine and more appropriate for teaching ECE than heterosexual men. Additionally, gay men were constructed as men who did not pose a paedophilic threat in ECE. Conversely, heterosexual male power and violence were used to distance heterosexual men from ECE. These findings demonstrate the fluidity of masculinity and the paedophilic threat in ECE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Hungarian Law Enforcement / Magyar Rendészet is the property of National University of Public Service and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Deficits in cognitive empathy (CE) have been associated with a child sexual offense (CSO) history in paedophilia. However, these results have been obtained in cross-sectional comparison. There are no longitudinal studies yet. We performed a longitudinal study with a 3-year interval and investigated CE and emotional empathy (EE) using the Multifaceted Empathy Test (MET) and the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI) in paedophilic men with a CSO history (P + CSO), paedophilic men without a CSO history (P-CSO), and non-offending teleiophilic male controls (TC). Results were stable and confirmed cross-sectional data with evidence for higher CE as measured by the MET in P-CSO compared to P + CSO. Evidence for more distress in social situations as measured by the IRI was found in P-CSO compared to TC, only. Our results highlight the importance of addressing multiple aspects of empathy in paedophilia and CSO and support the inclusion of CE training in the prevention of CSO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The terms "paedophilia" and "paedophile" appear regularly in any discourse on sexual offences against children. However, whether their use is justifiable is debatable, as is the question of whether framing this category of offence, and the defining characteristics of those who commit it (and in particular their state of mental health), in these terms justifies claiming that paedophilia is the underlying issue. This article examines the terminological differences between the definition of paedophilia used in medical diagnosis and the very specific definition enacted in the Polish Criminal Code (Art. 200, Para. 1). The results of empirical studies are presented below. Case files under this provision are examined, with special emphasis on the typology of offences and data on the mental health of offenders. This research was conducted as part of Research Project No. 2013/09/N/HS5/04247 and was financed by the National Science Centre. These studies show that a significant proportion of offences labelled "paedophilic" are nothing more than consensual sexual acts between adolescents and that the proportion of offenders afflicted with sexual preference disorders is negligible. The vast majority of cases do not involve paedophilia in the medical sense of the term, and using it this way gives a distorted picture of the topic and steers most of the discussion of it on a completely misguided path. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When a patient presents for psychotherapy having accessed illegal images of children online, it may be impossible to know at the outset whether this reflects an enduring sexual interest in children, or the transient emergence of paedophilic sexual interest associated with a breakdown in ego functioning. Concerns about risk and the emotive nature of paedophilia may undermine the therapist's or analyst's capacity to tolerate uncertainty and maintain analytic neutrality, leading to premature assumptions about the nature of the underlying pathology. This paper describes the treatment of a patient who had a conviction for viewing indecent images of children online, and the challenge of suspending judgement and maintaining analytic doubt while exploring the meaning of his actions. There was a pressure towards a sadomasochistic transference in which the therapist would be perceived to be cruel if doubting him, but weak and naive if not questioning him. Analytic work over seven years led to a formulation of his acting out as reflecting, not enduring paedophilia, but a 'paedophilic breakdown'. Changes were evident in his psychic functioning and his external life, as well as in the quality of the therapeutic process. The countertransference challenges of this work are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Crisis management principles that have been in place and proven for decades by commercial companies and corporations, tested at great expense, apply equally to all non-commercial entities, governmental, religious, political, as well as to individuals. There is no deviation from them, as crises in today’s world are determined by the media, not the entity or institution itself. Every crisis can become an opportunity for change, strengthening, improvement, purification and even victory. The condition is a professional approach to the problem. A crisis can also be the beginning of the end, a failure. The biggest enemy of success in this situation is lack of knowledge how to act properly, mistakes in communication and management of resources. However, avoiding responsibility, hiding facts, manipulating information, being too quick and inconsiderate, resorting to falsehood, hypocrisy, and calculated behaviour will not facilitate success either. The article will analyse the institutional actions of the Catholic Church in Poland for the protection of children and adolescents in the context of the classical principles of crisis management applied in a crisis.

Contemporary theologians apply the historic notion of loci theologici also to media and film. Films that show the Church in a critical way are also theologically significant. Therefore, one should be aware of the appearance of documentaries and feature films, which raise the issue of sexual abuse against the youngest (paedophilia) also in the Church. The article presents the most important films, produced since the end of the 20th century, whose authors present the crime of paedophilia, its victims, the mechanisms leading to its concealment and silence not only in the Church, but also in the media and society. Films about paedophilia, which are a recognisable voice of victims in the public space, a cry for truth and justice, can also be useful tools for media education.

The prevention of sexual abuse among people with sexual attractions to minors is a field of study that is growing in both size and importance. While there is an increasing amount of research into this topic, particularly in relation to the stigmatisation of minor-attracted persons (MAPs) and the barriers to them seeking help, there is currently no theoretical framework within which to consider this prevention landscape. In this paper, we suggest that an extension of Göbbels, Ward, and Willis' integrative theory of desistance from sexual offending could fill this gap in the literature. We explore what the aims of "prevention" initiatives could, or perhaps should, be, before exploring how an extension and adaptation of the desistance framework could provide a framework for working with MAPs in their journey for sound mental health and, ultimately, the prevention of sexual offending. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In its judgment of October 12, 2021 (application no. 11625/17), the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) for the first time referred to the issue of the Holy See's immunity. The case is of a precedential nature. It is highly probable that this ruling will determine the line of the Court's case-law for a long time. It did not find anything irrational or arbitrary in the detailed justification which led the Court of Appeal in Ghent (Belgium) to conclude that it had no jurisdiction to adjudicate on a civil liability action against the Holy See for sexual abuse by representatives of the Belgian clergy, in particular, due to its immunity from jurisdiction. The ECtHR found that this limitation complied with generally recognized principles of international law and was not disproportionate. The Belgian courts and the ECtHR treating the Holy See as a state is an over-interpretation. The Holy See cannot be treated as a foreign sovereign. This is a historical anachronism. At the very most, we can speak of the so-called 'spiritual sovereignty' of the Holy See, which his related to the fact that it is the governing body of the Catholic Church. However, it has no public-law powers over church structures and its followers. The Church is a voluntary international private association of natural persons. It has no administrative power over its members. The Holy See has a superior position over bishops. Therefore, it should also be responsible for the lack of a proper reaction by these church leaders to the sexual abuse of the clergy subordinate to them. In the past, the Catholic Church operated a policy of silence (omerta) based on clericalism. The pontificate of Pope Francis brought about fundamental changes in this area. However, the judgment of the European Court of Human Rights of October 12, 2021 is procrastinating and will probably trigger what can be termed a 'chilling effect'. What takes precedence is the good of the influential institution - the Holy See - and not those individuals wronged in their childhood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Paedophilia is a specific disorder in a spectre of sexual affinities in humans, which is in the nomenclature of the World Health Organization in the group of sexual preference disorders or paraphilia. Due to mobility, inventiveness, and invisibility, there is no relevant statistical data about this deviation's volume and extensiveness. This paper aims to determine the prevalence of paedophiles in the general population based on an anonymous survey, the number of processed perpetrators of sexual offenses toward children, and the number of unique visitors of the Internet "decoy". The research data were gathered through an anonymous survey (the survey was created for this research purposes, and it was an indirect, written survey) that enveloped a total of 658 individuals (60.49% males and 39.51% females) through the creation of a virtual Internet profile (1095 visitors, 89.86% males and 10.14% females), as well as through the statistical data of the Ministry of Interior of the Republic of Serbia (MUP RS) and the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Serbia (Directorate for Enforcement of Criminal Sanctions) over the last six years. The prevalence of paedophilia in the general population is 2.13%, and the majority is between 30 and 50 years of age. There are no relevant data on the treatment of paedophiles in penitentiary conditions. The number of submitted criminal charges for crimes with sexual violence elements toward children is much larger than the number of verdicts for the said acts. The number of crimes of sexual offenses against children in the analysed period was 1,288. Paedophilia is a complex disorder that poses a threat to public health. It is under-researched, and it calls for a multidisciplinary approach in research with the goal of preventing these forms of behaviour and the protection of children from sexual abuse.

Phallometry is an objective method of assessing male sexual arousal. The main applications in forensic psychiatry concern the evaluation of men charged with or convicted of sexual offences, the evaluation of those with suspected paraphilias not subject to the criminal justice system, risk assessment and measurement of response to sex offender treatment. In some jurisdictions, phallometry is incorporated into legal decisions about release from custody or discharge from secure hospitals. This paper provides a brief overview of the international development of phallometry, considers challenges to its broader adoption and discusses future directions for research and clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Child sexual abuse is a prevalent problem within our communities, yet policies that address it are mostly responsive rather than preventive. Given its impact on victims, it is important to move toward secondary prevention strategies, such as targeting individuals at higher risk for offending due to their sexual interest in minors, but who have yet to offend, and providing them with the resources needed to remain offense-free. This strategy is hindered by stigma, which prevents minor attracted persons (MAPs) from self-identifying. To dispel that stigma, the present study aimed to assess public attitudes toward MAPs and determine whether they could be changed by reading a psychoeducational text about MAPs. Analysis revealed that reading the text was associated with more negative attitudes. Findings are discussed as they pertain to the development of an anti-stigma intervention for MAPs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From page one, the novel The stick, by the Dutch writer Jeroen Brouwers is breathtaking and intriguing. The story is set not long after the Second World War. The young Franciscan friar Bonaventura lives in a monastery near to the German border. The community of friars there is in the grip of the pedophile friar Mansuetus and thus caught in a web of fear. Many of them, just like Mansuetus himself, sexually abuse the young pupils they have under their care. Not so Bonaventura. He is extremely unhappy there, even more so since he recently fell in love with a young woman from outside the monastery and with whom he even made love. He ardently longs to escape. Nonetheless, he remains within the walls of his hated Catholic prison. Why doesn't he break out immediately? Brouwers' novel succeeds to answer this question by means of a clever and a well-built composition of themes, metaphors, symbols and countless references to the Bible and the Second World War. Thus he gives his novel a suspense that lasts until the last page, circling around the question: will Bonaventura dare to leave the community or will he ultimately end up staying? Nederlandstalig abstract De roman Het hout beneemt je vanaf de eerste bladzijden de adem. Het verhaal speelt niet lang na de Tweede Wereldoorlog. De jonge Franciscaner broeder Bonaventura woont in een klooster niet ver van de Duitse grens. De kloostergemeenschap daar is in de greep geraakt van de pedofiele broeder Mansuetus en gevangen in een web van angst. Velen van hen maken, net als Mansuetus, seksueel misbruik van de jonge leerlingen die aan hen zijn toevertrouwd. Bonaventura doet dat niet. Hij voelt zich doodongelukkig in het klooster, en dat te meer omdat hij kort tevoren hartstochtelijk verliefd is geworden op een jonge vrouw van buiten het klooster en zelfs met haar naar bed is geweest. Hij verlangt er hevig naar om te ontsnappen. Niettemin blijft hij steeds maar tussen de muren van zijn gehate katholieke gevangenis zitten. Waarom gaat hij daar niet onmiddellijk vandaan? Brouwers slaagt erin om op die vraag een antwoord te geven door middel van een uitgekiende compositie van thema's, metaforen, symbolen en talloze verwijzingen naar de Bijbel en naar de Tweede Wereldoorlog. Zo weet hij zijn roman een spanning te geven die duurt tot aan de laatste pagina en die gericht is op de vraag: durft Bonaventura het ten slotte aan om de kloostergemeenschap te verlaten of blijft hij daar uiteindelijk toch zitten? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Child sexual abuse is a complex topic which should be treated in a serious and responsable way, above all because it has been increasing in an alarming way in the last times. In the work, this important topic is analized, and evidencies of 4 sexual abuses in defenseless children are presented, cases which were not denounced to the judicial authorities by their parents due to prejudices and familiarity or friendship links with the perpetrator. The objective is to awake in parents and relatives, above all from defenseless children (due to physical or mental discapacities or due to age), the acuity to detect on time a possible case and to avoid it, as well as to raise awareness to all in the protection of childhood inocence against unscrupulous perpetrators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of International Studies: Interdisciplinary Political & Cultural Journal is the property of Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Lodzkiego and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Sexual exploitation of children and adolescents has acquired new forms with development of the Internet. Sexual online grooming, or solicitation through the Internet, is one of such forms. The number of online grooming cases increases in Russia, but there is little research on this phenomenon. A few studies concern predominantly its prevalence and problems of joint forensic psychological-linguistic expertise of interactions between the groomer and the child. The range of research abroad is wider, from the structure of the grooming process, manipulative strategies and tactics of the offender to the factors influencing the child’s vulnerability. Special attention is paid to the linguistic features of the online grooming with the goal to develop computer systems for its detection. On the basis of the review of the modern studies the necessity of further interdisciplinary research of the online grooming is argued. It will provide new information for criminal psychology and victimology, promote forensic expertise and prevention of sexual crimes against children.

Paedophilic disorder is characterised by sexual attraction towards children. Classification of a counterpart as sexually attractive likely occurs rapidly, and involves both conscious and unconscious attentional and cognitive processes. Magnetoencephalography (MEG) is an imaging method especially well-suited to examine visual and attentional processes triggered by sexual images within the range of milliseconds. We investigated brain responses to sexual images depicting adults (frequent) and children (infrequent stimulus) in seventeen paedophilic patients with a history of child sexual offending (P + CSO) and twenty healthy controls (HC) during a passive visual oddball paradigm. Event-related fields (ERF) were measured to extract the magnetic visual mismatch negativity (vMMNm), and how it relates to the processing of different classes of sexual stimuli. P + CSO exhibited significantly longer vMMNm latencies (100–180 ms post-stimulus) than HC. Moreover, P + CSO showed widespread increased amplitudes in response to child images starting from P3a and P3b components and lasting up to 400 ms post-stimulus presentation localised in frontal and temporal brain regions. This study uncovers the first MEG differences in automatic change detection between P + CSO and HC during the presentation of subliminal sexual images of adults and children, contributing towards a better understanding of the neurobiological processes of P + CSO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Child pornography involves the realisation of deviant fantasies with very specific characteristics with regard to its content and use and therefore the legal action needed to deal with it. The internet has facilitated its dissemination and access and complicates the issue but we need to be able to identify and track people who use illegal pornography. This paper is based on a review of the literature and presents some criminological characteristics of child pornography on the internet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]