Pedophiles and Child Molesters

In The United States children are considered to be our greatest resource. Ironically we are a nation that also witnesses the constant molestation of children by sexual predators. While the media focuses on the horrific cases of child abduction they fail to understand the pervasive nature of sexual predators, who they are and how they think and operate. Sexual predators are persons who have a history of repetitive offending against children and/or adults. We call them predators because they are viewed as high risk offenders while the label sex offenders denotes all persons convicted of sex crimes, regardless of the nature of the crime. Predators, because they are high risk, are offenders more likely to abduct and kill their victims.

According the National Center for Missing and Murdered Children in Washington, DC. every year in the United States over one million children disappear. Over 98% of those are runaways and will return home. Approximately 150 children are abducted and murdered each year by sexual predators. Amber Alerts make us increasingly aware that children are at risk. Although the odds are small that your child will be a victim, hundreds of parents each year mourn the loss of their children.

Who are these sex offenders and sexual predators? They fall into two primary categories: pedophiles and child molesters. Pedophiles are men who find children emotionally, socially, and sexually attractive. They prefer the company of children. Most never marry and very few have sex with adults. They often live alone or with a relative. For most pedophiles they have convinced themselves that they really love the children they molest. They have dozens of victims and think of each as a relationship. Pedophiles "groom" children with gifts, attention and affection in order to win their trust. They often do the same to the child's parents so everyone feels safe and secure. Most pedophiles do not abduct children but use lures to attract them. They like to be close to schools, parks, playgrounds and often go to arcades to find victims.

They have become prolific predators on the Internet and have learned how to communicate with children via email, instant messaging, and chat rooms. Some belong to organized pedophile groups such as NAMBLA (North American Man-Boy Love Association) and argue that they would never harm a child because they love them too much. Most do not engage in sexual intercourse with children as they opt for oral sex, fondling, etc. They master the art of deception, manipulation and denial that they do harm to children. Pedophiles remain dangerous to children as long as they live. There is no cure for pedophilia. Programs exist to treat the disorder that include behavior modification, aversive therapies, and relapse prevention. However, these are not cures but controls, that when removed, often ends in re-offending. In truth, less that 1% of all sex offenders complete a sex offender program. Most pedophiles argue that they do not need to be cured because what they do is biologically based, that pedophilia is their sexual orientation and that it should not be criminalized.

Child molesters also have attractions to children but they are quite different than pedophiles. Child molesters often marry and have their own children. Some will molest within the family but most look for other children. They are not interested in relationships with children, do not feel affection toward their victims and often will have hundreds of victims before they are caught. Like pedophiles they look for opportunities to be alone with your child whether it is in your home or in a public place. Because there is no emotional connection, real or imagined, between the child molesters and their victims child molesters tend to be more violent and more likely to abduct children. However, many child molesters who have high numbers of victims usually have brief encounters with them and do not abduct their victims. Like pedophiles, some have age-specific preferences while others do not care as long as they are children. Unlike pedophiles, child molesters are not in denial about their crimes. Most are not interested in grooming their victims to gain their trust. They are extremely opportunistic and will exploit children on impulse. They enjoy the hunt whether the victim is his own child's friend or children he encounters while in stores, parks, arcades and movie theaters. When children are abducted and murdered the offenders are more likely to be child molesters than pedophiles.

Both pedophiles and child molesters are sexual predators. Parents must be vigilante both at home and in public. I have known pedophiles who have married women in order to have access to their children and child molesters who never touch their own family but exploit neighborhood children. California alone has over 120,000 registered sex offenders and two thirds of those offenders have committed crimes against children. Believe me when I say that war has been declared against our children. There is no community that is safe from these predators and parents must become more vigilante and active in protecting children. In my next Crime Commentary I will be exploring how child predators think in their quest for victims. More extensive coverage of these and other crime topics can be found in my books: Serial Murderers and Their Victims, 4th edition, 2006 (Thomson-Wadsworth Publishers); Sex Crimes and Paraphilia, 2006 (Prentice-Hall Publishers); and The Encyclopedia of Murder and Violent Crime, 2003 (Sage Publishers). Your thoughts are always appreciated.

Eric Hickey, Ph.D.
Criminal Psychologist &
Crime Consultant

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July 2006