Note: This story was dynamically reformatted for online reading convenience.
 
 PAEDOPHILIA: Frequently Asked Questions (1-10).
   This is written as if an educational pamphlet for teenagers, or naive
adults who wish to have a better understanding of the subject of
paedophilia.  It attempts to lay down truths in a frank but fair manner. 
It may be shocking to some readers.
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   1) What is a paedophile?
   Literally the word means `child lover', or `one who loves a child'.  It
shares a common root with hippophile (lover of horses) or bibliophile (book
lover).  As such, it suggests affection and enthusiasm for something. 
`Paedophile' has established itself in specifically sexual terms, however,
referring to an adult who feels sexual attraction to a child.  Strictly
(biologically) speaking, this means attraction to those below the age of
pubescence, therefore about 11 and under.  Note, the term does not itself
mean actual sexual activity with children, but only to the ability to be
sexually aroused by them.
   2) What is a child abuser?
   This specifically does refer to damaging or inappropriate activity of
some kind by an adult with a child.  It may not necessarily be sexual, but
the term embraces it, and very often child abuse will be sexually
motivated. In this context, a child abuser is one who undertakes some kind
of sexual interaction with a child, which may range from mild molestations
such as groping to the most serious such as rape.  The selection of `abuse'
as a concept reflects the psychological, though not necessarily physical,
damage which most experts believe is done to the child by these activities.
   3) What types of things does an [active] paedophile do to a child?
   In short, the variety is enormous and covers a wide spectrum of
severity. It depends on the adult in question, and the circumstances
involved.  Somewhere in the world, the collective population of child
abusers perform every conceivable sexual act on a child, limited only by
their imagination.  Sometimes this be no more than cuddle and a kiss. 
However, at the extreme end of the spectrum, for example, a 9-year-old girl
was regularly made to suck the penis of the family dog.  Worse still, some
children are murdered as part of sexual abuse.
   4) Does an [active] paedophile actually penetrate a child?
   Yes, this is common, and often a major goal of the paedophile.  The
penetrations range in severity from gentle and barely leaving any physical
after-effect to unspeakably violent, causing such things as ruptured wombs
or rectums.  The targets of the penetrations may equally include vagina,
anus or mouth.  An active paedophile is in the business of engaging
sexually with a child, attempting to enjoy her/him in all the ways in which
non-paedophile normal men would enjoy a woman.  The more `restrained'
abusers will attempt to do this without causing physical injury, or at
least minimizing it.
   5) Is it more common for girls or boys to be targeted?
   Figures are hard to verify, but most estimates would suggest about 75%
of paedophiles' victims are girls.  This seems realistic, as it roughly
reflects the proportions of heterosexual or gay sexuality amongst men. 
Approximately 10% of men are openly gay, but the higher relative incidence
of boy-children being victims is because of either the `opportunity' child
abuse presents, or that a normally heterosexual man is nevertheless able to
find boys sexually appealing.  It is estimated also that about 75% of
paedophiles declare themselves interested in some degree to both genders.
   6) What ages do paedophiles prefer?
   This varies from paedophile to paedophile.  Some, indeed, do not limit
their libidos to only children but may also have a `normal' interest in
fellow adults.  Some may specifically prefer the upper range of children,
ie 9-12, whereas others primarily like a range as low as 3-6.  Below this
is rarer, and of course terribly shocking.  Most paedophiles would not
completely limit their interest to one age group, but be perfectly `able'
to go outside their range of preference.  A sexual preference for age 12 or
higher is thought to be a different condition to paedophilia
(ephebephilia).
   7) WHY do paedophiles feel this attraction to children?
   This is a very complex question to answer, and merits much discussion
which can but be summarized here.  Some may have been sexually abused as
children, and grow to become abusers themselves.  It is thought, but
debated, that paedophiles may be `born' this way, their brains wired
differently so to speak.  Some may be led astray by child pornography -
again the effect of this is debated - whereas some claim to have been
`pushed to it' by frustrations in conventional sex.  Occasionally the death
of a spouse may lead a man to sexual love of his own daughter.
   8) What is `grooming'?
   In the context of paedophilia or child sexual abuse, this refers to the
act of befriending a child by an adult, but with sexual intention behind
it. In other words, he befriends her/him only because he desires to gain
opportunity to have sexual interaction.  This is made easier if a
friendship - ie trust - has been established.  Typically, the man
(sometimes woman) will build up the seriousness of his sexual acts with the
child little by little, finally arriving a state of considerable control
whereupon he can routinely enjoy the most intimate (`hardcore') of acts
with the child.
   9) Does a paedophile actually `love' a child?
   It is a controversial concept, but evidence strongly suggests that many
paedophiles do genuinely feel affection for their victims.  Such cases
would normally be the `gentler' type of molestations, although it should be
stressed that such `gentleness' can - and often does - still include the
most intimate sex acts.  Many a male paedophile has claimed to be `in love'
with a particular girl-child, and much of his behaviour towards her
reflects this.  However, stern critics would say the sexual elements he
perpetrates on her negate the notion that he truly `loves' her, since it is
doing her psychological damage.
   10) Do paedophiles want their victims to do things to them?
   Many paedophiles most certainly want the child to take an active part of
in the illicit activities.  It depends on the adult in question.  Some may
`prefer passive', and indeed be motivated by the power and sheer dominance.
Probably well over half, however, would crave a scenario where the child
initiates sexual activity.  Indeed, many sexual abuses contain the process
of coaching the child to `do things'.  Typically this includes learning to
kiss in a sexual way, or to suck the man's penis.  Many dream of a fully
reciprocal relationship, as if adults.
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   If anybody has questions they wish to be included in this series, email
ep1968@hotmail.co.uk
  
Paedophilia FAQs Pt.1