'Don’t lock up low-risk paedophiles, say police'

Indeed. Spot on.

 

There is a special place in hell for all child abusers. There are many forms of child abuse as well, so what makes paedophilia the worst?

1. Effect on children seems to be more long lasting and emotional. I don't know if there are any stats to back that up, but the anecdotal picture is that children seem to internalise fault more acutely than for other forms of abuse.
2. Predatory nature outside the home environment. There isn't a lot we adults can do to control our children's exposure to the phenomenon. No matter who we choose as friends or socialise with, some weirdo in the park can take them and abuse them when our back is turned, even momentarily. The very innocence of our children, the things we love about them, is what makes them a tempting target to the predators.

Personally, I see peadophilia as a continuum. When you have 14 year old models being employed by major brands to flog apparel, there really is a larger social issue here than we like to believe.

As a continuum, a range of methods to deal with perpetrators is appropriate to produce the desired outcome: stop the abuse using minimal public resources. Unlike an earlier poster, I don't see the severity of the action (penetration rape to visual porn) as the key item, its the age of the victim and the age difference (ie a 16 yo with a 14 yo not so much concern as a 50 yo with a 14yo, and in either case not so bad as an 8 yo victim).

So I disagree with the precise police approach, BUT I do think that a risk and harm- based approach is appropriate in principle.

 

I also believe there's more than even that - I'm convinced paedophilia is far more widespread than we dare believe it to be, and as has been proved, its tentacles reach into all walks of life, from the lowest social demographic to the very highest, and that's why nothing gets done about it. I despair at the gross depravity of which human beings are capable.

 

In the western world I think its hit its zenith. There is too much disclosure, high profile of historic cases, more regulated institutions and far better victim support processes.

Society has become far less trusting in institutions and they are now subject to independent regulators.

The paedophilia problem still exists, but the institutional support is gone.

I think there is more to be uncovered historically, and offences will still occur going forward, but I don't think there will be as much as in the period post WWII to 1990.

Now in the non-Western world, there is still a huge, undisclosed issue. Afghanistan has a lot of these problems, apparently