Pedophilia (American English), pædophilia/paedophilia (Commonwealth English), or pedosexuality is the paraphilia of being sexually attracted primarily or exclusively to prepubescent children. The ICD-10 (F65.4) defines it as "a sexual preference for children, boys or girls or both, usually of prepubertal or early pubertal age." The word comes from the Greek paidophilia (παιδοφιλια)—pais (παις, "boy, child") and philia (φιλια, "love, friendship"). American English (AmE) is the form of the English language used mostly in the United States of America. ... Commonwealth English is intended as a collective term for the perceived standard English language used in the Commonwealth of Nations1, applying in theory to Australian English, British English, Caribbean English, Canadian English, Hiberno-English (Irish English)2, Hong Kong English3, Indian English (includes Pakistani English), New Zealand English, formal Singapore... Paraphilia (in Greek para παρά = besides and -philia φιλία = love) is a mental health term recently used to indicate sexual arousal in response to sexual objects or situations which may interfere with the capacity for reciprocal affectionate sexual activity. ... Sexual attraction, in species which reproduce sexually, is attraction to other members of the same species for reproduction. ... A male Caucasian toddler child A child (plural: children) is a young human. ... The International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (commonly known by the abbreviation ICD) is a detailed description of known diseases and injuries. ...

The term pedophile is often also used to describe any person who has perpetrated sexual crimes against children; this use, however, is seen as erroneous by some individuals, especially when viewed from a medical standpoint, as the majority of sex crimes against children are perpetrated by situational offenders rather then people sexually attracted to prepubertal children. In the study of crime, a situational offender is a person who commits crimes only when in an environment which permits or encourages those acts. ...

In the United States and some other countries, the term is sometimes used to describe people attracted to adolescents, especially in regards to sexual activities. Most medical definitions of pedophilia limit it to adults with a sexual attraction to pre-pubescent children. In cultures or countries where love relationships or dates between adults and adolescents are socially or legally accepted (at least with parental consent) or are viewed with tolerance, such as Brazil, the word pedophilia is almost never used in this sense, neither formally or informally. A separate article is about the punk band called The Adolescents. ...

In most countries, adolescents above a certain age can be legally emancipated through marriage, economic self-sufficiency, pregnancy or by other means. The marriageable age is generally below the age of majority and in some cases below the legal age of consent. Having sexual relations with emancipated minors is not considered pedophilia. This is an incomplete list of ages at which people are allowed to marry in various countries. ... In criminal law, the age of consent is the age at which a person is considered to be capable of legally giving informed consent to sexual acts with another person. ...

Definitions

The term paedophilia erotica was coined in 1896 by the Vienna psychiatrist Richard von Krafft-Ebing in his writing Psychopathia Sexualis. He gives the following characteristics: 1896 was a leap year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Richard Freiherr von Krafft-Ebing (August 4, 1840 – December 22, 1902), German / Austrian psychiatrist, wrote Psychopathia Sexualis (1886), a famous study of sexual perversity, and remains well-known for his coinage of the term sadism. ... Psychopathia Sexualis (Psychopathy of Sex) is the most famous work Richard Freiherr von Krafft-Ebing, first published in 1886. ...

• the sexual interest is toward children, either prepubescent or at the beginning of puberty
• the sexual interest is the primary one, that is, exclusively or mainly toward children
• the sexual interest remains over time

Some other definitions of pedophilia require an age difference of at least five years. These, however, may overlook the tendency of pedophilic sexual inclination to develop during puberty or childhood^[1]. Some sexologists such as Dr. John Money assert that not only adults but also postpubescent adolescents may qualify as pedophiles. Sexual orientation refers to the sex or gender of people who are the focus of a persons amorous or erotic desires, fantasies, and spontaneous feelings, the gender(s) toward which one is primarily oriented. The alternative terms sexual preference and sexual inclination have similar meanings. ... John Money (born 1921), Ph. ...

Some individuals assert sexual attraction to children to be a sexual orientation in itself. This is at odds with the current acceptance that the term sexual orientation only subsumes attraction to one's own sex, the opposite sex, or both. The proponents of such a view point out that homosexuality, heterosexuality and bisexuality are not normally associated with attraction to children and that children are physically and mentally different enough from adults to warrant categorising attraction toward them as a completely different sexual orientation. Sexual attraction, in species which reproduce sexually, is attraction to other members of the same species for reproduction. ... Sexual orientation refers to the sex or gender of people who are the focus of a persons amorous or erotic desires, fantasies, and spontaneous feelings, the gender(s) toward which one is primarily oriented. The alternative terms sexual preference and sexual inclination have similar meanings. ... Since its coining, the term homosexuality has acquired multiple meanings. ... Heterosexuality is the scientific name for sexual attraction and/or sexual behaviour between animals of the opposite characteristic sex. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Homosexuality. ...

Strictly speaking, a person is not necessarily a pedophile simply because he or she is sexually aroused by children; rather, a pedophile is defined as someone whose primary sexual attraction is toward children. In most cases, however, pedophilia is used in a looser sense to describe anyone found to be sexually aroused by children and is often diagnosed solely in the presence of fantasies or sexual urges on the subject's part—it need not involve sexual acts with children. In this regard, there is evidence that at least a quarter of all adult men may have feelings of sexual arousal in connection with children^[2].

The APA's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 4th edition, Text Revision has in its "Diagnostic criteria for 302.2 Pedophilia": The American Psychiatric Association is a professional organization of psychiatrists whose members are American and international physicians who are trained in psychiatry. ... The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, published by the American Psychiatric Association, is the handbook used most often in diagnosing mental disorders in the United States and internationally. ...

• Over a period of at least 6 months, recurrent, intense sexually arousing fantasies, sexual urges, or behaviors involving sexual activity with a prepubescent child or children (generally age 13 years or younger).
• The person has acted on these urges, or the sexual urges or fantasies cause marked distress or interpersonal difficulty.
• The person is at least age 16 years and at least 5 years older than the child or children in Criterion A.

Note: Do not include an individual in late adolescence involved in an ongoing sexual relationship with a 12 or 13-year-old.

The actual boundaries between childhood and adolescence may vary in individual cases and are difficult to define in rigid terms of age. The World Health Organization, for instance, defines adolescence as the period of life between 10 and 20 years of age, though it is most often defined as the period of life between the ages of 13 and 18. A male Caucasian toddler child A child (plural: children) is a young human. ... Adolescence is the transitional stage of development between childhood and full adulthood, representing the period of time during which a person is biologically adult but emotionally not at full maturity. ... The WHO flag: similar to the flag of the United Nations, augmented with the symbolic staff and serpent of Asklepios, Greek god of medicine and healing. ... Adolescence is the transitional stage of development between childhood and full adulthood, representing the period of time during which a person is biologically adult but emotionally not at full maturity. ...

Pedophiles sometimes refer to themselves as boylovers or girllovers to provide a distinction between what gender they are attracted to (many are not attracted to both); collectively, they are sometimes generalised as "childlovers." The term childlover, however, is considered offensive to some who are attracted to adolescents, or attracted to girls and boys undergoing puberty—and therefore the term "minor attracted adult" is sometimes preferred. Members of the childlove movement seek societal acceptance of their sexual or romantic attraction to children, and often also of sexual relations between adults and children (see pedophilia). ...

Related terms

Child sexual abuse

A perpetrator committing child sexual abuse is commonly (and often, but not always, mistakenly) assumed to be a pedophile, and referred to as such; however, there may often be other motivations, much as adult rape can sometimes have non-sexual reasons. Most perpetrators of child sexual abuse are not primarily interested in children—a fact which has been recognized by law enforcement^[3]. They are sometimes referred to as pseudo-pedophilies or situational offenders, whereas pedophiles primarily attracted toward children are called structured pedophiles or fixated pedophiles, as their orientation is fixed by the structure of their personality. // Sexual abuse in general Sexual abuse is a form of abuse that is made by means of the sexual behavior between an victim(s) and offender(s). ... In the study of crime, a situational offender is a person who commits crimes only when in an environment which permits or encourages those acts. ...

The term pedophile is not used legally, and is not a legal category; an act by a child molester of molesting children is not legally referred to as pedophilia. However, newspapers and other news media frequently make erroneous use of the terms accused pedophile or convicted pedophile in reference to individuals accused or convicted of sexual abuse of children; other perplexing terms such as "serial pedophilia" have also come into use.

Ephebophilia

Ephebophilia, also known as hebephilia, is the condition in which adults are dependent on the sexual attraction to postpubescent adolescents. Pederasty refers to attraction toward male adolescents. Attraction to female adolescents is sometimes referred to as "Lolita syndrome" or "Lolita Complex" (an equivalent term for males is the uncommon "Shota Complex"). These terms are used in contrast with pedophilia; however pedophilia is sometimes used more broadly in the western world to describe both ephebophilia and attraction to younger children, i.e. any person younger than the legal age of consent. Ephebophilia, from the Greek έφηβος (ephebos) adolescent and φιλία (philia) love/friendship, is a sexual preference or orientation in which an adult is primarily or exclusively sexually attracted to adolescents (usually people between the ages of 13 and 16). ... A separate article is about the punk band called The Adolescents. ... Pederasty, as idealized by the ancient Greeks, was a relationship and bond between an adolescent boy and an adult man outside of his immediate family. ... Lolita is a novel by Vladimir Nabokov, first published in 1955. ... Lolita Girls Collection by Hikari Hayashibara is a typical lolicon manga (ISBN 4-7567-2463-9) Lolicon, or Rorikon (ロリコン) is the Japanese gairaigo term (usually short form) for Lolita complex (derived from the novel Lolita), the sexual attraction to fictional and real underage girls, or ephebophilia. ... Shotacon (ショタコン) (also Shota ショタ) is a Japanese and anime term for a sexual complex where an adult is attracted to an underage boy. ... The term Western World or the West can have multiple meanings depending on its context. ... In criminal law, the age of consent is the age at which a person is considered to be capable of legally giving informed consent to sexual acts with another person. ...

Sexual desires including youths are common among adults with a heterosexual or homosexual orientation, though their attraction is not specifically to persons that young. Only when it is a specific and exclusive attraction, is it labeled ephebophilia as a sexual condition or orientation. It should also be noted that unlike pedophilia, attraction to adolescents has never been regarded by psychologists as pathological. In fact, it has often been considered normative in some societies, such as those in which adolescent girls have been married to adult men. Nonetheless, it is often illegal for adults to act on an attraction to adolescents below a certain age, and such activity is disapproved of in many societies. Ephebophilia, from the Greek έφηβος (ephebos) adolescent and φιλία (philia) love/friendship, is a sexual preference or orientation in which an adult is primarily or exclusively sexually attracted to adolescents (usually people between the ages of 13 and 16). ...

Nepiophilia

Some researchers have suggested a distinction between pedophilia and nepiophilia—that is, the attraction to very young children in the age range of 0-3, because the difference between these two preferences seems quite large. It is unusual for pedophiles to prefer toddlers. Infantophilia or nepiophilia is the primary sexual attraction of adults to very small children (usually defined as 0–4 years old). ... A male Caucasian toddler child A toddler is a child between the ages of one to three years old. ...

Cultural norms

Historically, in Western societies, sex was considered a privilege of marriage, and marriage was allowed as long as there was parental consent. It was fairly common for adolescent and in some cases prepubescent females to marry adult men, and it is hard to believe that sexual activity was absent in all cases. Changes in the reason for marriage from improving social status to love, along with anti-child sex advocacy during the industrial revolution led to laws preventing this in most places.

Western societies have also, until the 20th century, considered attraction to the body of prepubescents as acceptable, as evidenced by acceptance of artwork involving nude and erotic depictions of children (for example: Lewis Carroll). During the 20th century, attempts were made (sometimes successfully) to destroy such artwork, make it illegal, or remove it from public libraries. Though such artwork can sometimes be considered legal, social pressure has prevented creating new forms of such artwork and ownership of such artwork. The word nude may refer to: The state of nudity. ... Photograph of Lewis Carroll taken by himself, with assistance Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (January 27, 1832 – January 14, 1898), better known by the pen name Lewis Carroll, was a British author, mathematician, logician, Anglican clergyman and photographer. ...

Sex between children and adults was condoned and often encouraged by Polynesians and other cultures, especially matriarchal societies.[4] The reason for this was because these societies revered fertility and motherhood and did not attempt to control sex. Western influence and domination has eroded their open views about sex. Therefore, direct observation is no longer possible, and the only references are older observations made before widespread Western influence. Polynesia (from Greek, poly = many and nesi = island) is a large grouping of over 1,000 islands in the central and southern Pacific Ocean. ...

Law

Pedophilia itself is not a legal term, as it describes no act. In modern western societies, sexual acts between adults and prepubescent children are usually considered both a taboo and a crime; common reasons given include some of the following: A taboo is a strong social prohibition (or ban) relating to any area of human activity or social custom declared as sacred and forbidden; breaking of the taboo is usually considered objectionable or abhorrent by society. ...

• children are seen as unable to understand the putative physical, emotional, and social consequences of sexual acts and are therefore seen as unable to give informed consent;
• sexual acts can, like all relationships, involve coercion and abuse of power, which can break bonds of trust and perhaps "damage" a child;
• belief that children would never agree to engage in sex without coercion, and wouldn't naturally seek it;
• it's often considered unnatural for an adult to engage in sexual activity with a prepubescent because they are unable to reproduce. Yet, evidence for such activity occurs in nature, with the most obvious example being Bonobos. Also, high levels of sexual hormones appear in females well before the onset of menses, and sexual identification (preference towards pheremones of the opposite sex) is scientifically observed to be somewhere between two and four years of age.
• the television, radio, and other media often depict sexual activity as harmful to children and wrong;
• belief that individuals shouldn't have sex until marriage (or a fixation on virginity in females), paired with legal prevention of marriage below a certain age; and
• religious or pseudo-religious faith often prevents scientific inquiry, as illustrated when the U.S. Congress voted unanimously to condemn Rind et al.

There are medical reasons that sex (especially for pre-pubescent females) is considered more dangerous for females: Informed consent is a legal condition whereby a person can be said to have given consent based upon a full appreciation and understanding of the facts and implications of any actions (as far as humanly possible), with the individual being in possession of all of his faculties (not mentally retarded... Coercion is the practice of compelling a person to act by employing threat of harm (usually physical force, sometimes other forms of harm). ... Rind, Tromovitch and Bauserman are the authors of A meta-analytic examination of assumed properties of child sexual abuse using college samples. ...

• sexual activity in girls has been linked to irregular pap smears and perhaps even cervical cancer, but lack of true scientific inquiry means that the link is not fully established, nor are preventative measures known. For instance, since this link is considered bacterial-related, it isn't known whether cleansing of objects before being placed into the vaginal canal can prevent this.
• sexual intercourse in pre-pubescent girls has sometimes lead to vaginal tearing, though this may be due to coerced penetration (as is often the cause of vaginal tearing in adult women). A girl within a few years of puberty is usually able to accommodate an adult male's penis without tearing, whilst a girl of a younger age is often more disposed to experience tearing during such an act.

It must be stated however that the term "child" varies from culture to culture. Some set the upper limit of this figure at puberty, while others set it higher, to coincide with legal definitions of "majority" for their country, which is usually around 18 or 21.

Sexual acts between adults and postpubescent adolescents are also seen as a taboo in some cultures, while in others they are viewed naturally or with tolerance. Cultures are influenced by the local age of consent, religion and language. A taboo is a strong social prohibition (or ban) relating to any area of human activity or social custom declared as sacred and forbidden; breaking of the taboo is usually considered objectionable or abhorrent by society. ... Tolerance is a social, cultural and religious term applied to the collective and individual practice of not persecuting those who may believe, behave or act in ways of which one may not approve. ... In criminal law, the age of consent is the age at which a person is considered to be capable of legally giving informed consent to sexual acts with another person. ...

The percentage of pedophile perpetrators in cases of child sexual abuse is estimated to be 2 to 10 percent (Kinsey-Report, Lautmann, Brongersma, Groth). Abuse is mainly a phenomenon of heterosexual and homosexual orientation. // Sexual abuse in general Sexual abuse is a form of abuse that is made by means of the sexual behavior between an victim(s) and offender(s). ...

Most cases of father-daughter incest are believed to involve fathers who are situational offenders, rather than pedophiles^[5]. Some have argued that these cases are triggered by the withdrawal of the mother from the family, often due to physical or mental illness. Incest is the sexual activity or marriage between very close family members (and sometimes friends in some societies). ...

Legally, relationships between adults and adolescents do not necessarily include sex. Most of them involve sexual attraction. Courting a teenager below the age of consent is legal in some jurisdictions, especially when the individual's age is above the marriageable age. In other jurisdictions, this may be illegal. In criminal law, the age of consent is the age at which a person is considered to be capable of legally giving informed consent to sexual acts with another person. ... This is an incomplete list of ages at which people are allowed to marry in various countries. ...

Advocacy of pedophilia

There are a number of organisations and web-based communities, together referred to as the childlove movement, that seek to remove the stigma from pedophilia. Goals for these organisations and communities range from wanting to legalise sexual relationships between adults and children or teenagers, to merely offering a place for support and advice to those with a sexual attraction to children. Members of the childlove movement seek societal acceptance of their sexual or romantic attraction to children, and often also of sexual relations between adults and children (see pedophilia). ...

• The North American Man-Boy Love Association (NAMBLA) advocates legalisation of consensual sexual relationships between boys and men.
• MARTIJN is a Netherlands-based advocate of adult-child sex.
• The Human Face of Pedophilia is a well known pedophile advocacy site.
• BoyChat is a support forum for male-attracted pedophiles.
• Girl Chat is a support forum for female-attracted pedophiles.
• Pedophiles Against Child Molestation (PACM) is a community of conscientious pedophiles and non-pedophiles opposed to child abuse, neglect, and exploitation.

The main PACM forum is presently offline. You can visit a temporary forum here A NAMBLA logo. ... MARTIJN is a Dutch association for the acceptance of pedophilia. ... Lindsay Ashford is a self-identified pedophile and girllover. ...

• tkGL.net is a support forum similar to Girl Chat featuring personal testimonies, on-topic debates, and coverage of related news/media.

See pedophilia and homosexuality for the historical relationship between pedophilia advocates and the gay rights movement. Distinction This article deals with the societal and historical connections and perceived connections between pedophilia and homosexuality. ... The gay rights movement is a collection of loosely aligned civil rights groups, human rights groups, support groups and political activists seeking acceptance, tolerance and equality for non-heterosexual, (homosexual, bisexual), and transgender people - despite the fact that it is typically referred to as the gay rights movement, members also...

References

There is quite a large amount of literature related to child sexual abuse, and sex offenders. However, what is lacking is proper authoritative peer-reviewed research into pedophiles in general, who may not have offended. Such information is of course hard to gather given the controversial nature of such research, and the fact that any research that gives a pro-adult/child sex outcome being condemned at large by various governing bodies, and children's charities.

1. ^  Janssen, D. F. (2003). "Protoparaphilia." Unpublished. 23-27.
2. ^  Freund, K. and Costell, R. (1970). "The structure of erotic preference in the nondeviant male." Behaviour Research & Therapy 8 (1), 15-20.
   Quinsey, V. L. et al. (1975). "Penile circumference, skin conductance, and ranking responses of child molesters and 'normals' to sexual and nonsexual visual stimuli." Behavior Therapy. 6, 213-219.
   Hall, G. C. N. et al. (1995) "Sexual Arousal and Arousability to Pedophilic Stimuli in a Community Sample of Normal Men" Behavior Therapy. 26, 681-694.
3. ^  Lanning, Kenneth (2001). Child Molesters: A Behavioral Analysis (Third Edition). National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.
4. ^  Quinsey, V. L. (1977). "The assessment and treatment of child molesters: A review." Canadian Psychological Review. 18, 204-220.

• Ames, A. & Houston, D. A. (1990). "Legal, social, and biological definitions of pedophilia." Archives of Sexual Behavior. 19 (4), 333-342.
• Fagan P. J. et al (2002). "Pedophilia" (requires registration). Journal of the American Medical Association. 288, 2458-2465.
• Green, R. (2002). "Is pedophilia a mental disorder?" (summary). Archives of sexual behavior. 31 (6), 467-471.
• Rind et al. (1998). "A meta-analytic examination of assumed properties of child sexual abuse using college samples." Psychological Bulletin. 124 (1), 22-53.
• Levine, Judith. (2002. Harmful to Minors. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press. Discusses the perception and reality of pedophilia. ISBN 0816640068.
• Wilson, Paul R. (1981). Paul Wilson: The Man They Called a Monster. Melbourne: Cassell Australia. ISBN 0726992828. (Book about a court reporter who had sexual relationships with 2500 adolescent males; includes interviews with the later adults who reflect on these relationships.)
• Underwager, Ralph and Wakefield, Hollida (1995). "Special Problems with Sexual Abuse Cases." In J. Ziskin (Ed.) Coping With Psychiatric and Psychological Testimony (Fifth Edition). Los Angeles: Law and Psychology Press. ISBN 1879689073. 1315-1370.

Rind, Tromovitch and Bauserman are the authors of A meta-analytic examination of assumed properties of child sexual abuse using college samples. ... Judith Levine (born 1952) is a noted author and civil libertarian. ... Harmful to Minors Harmful to Minors: The Perils of Protecting Children From Sex (ISBN 0816640068) is a book by Judith Levine that was published in 2002 with a foreword by former United States Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders. ...

Fiction

• The Woodsman (2004), a film in which Kevin Bacon plays a 45 year-old man attracted to 10-to-12 year-old prepubescent girls, trying to wrestle with his past offences.
• Lolita

Lolita is a novel by Vladimir Nabokov, first published in 1955. ...

External links

• Dictionary of Sexology, based on the books of sexologist Dr. John Money.
• Sexual Arousal and Arousability to Paedophilic Stimuli in a Community Sample of Normal Men
• Americans for a Society Free from Age Restrictions.
• Logical Reality, articles relating to pedophilia from a tolerant perspective, and a large discussion forum.

John Money (born 1921), Ph. ...

See also

• Teleiophilia - Minors attracted towards adults
• Age disparity in sexual relationships
• Child sexuality
• Grooming a child
• Moral panic (see also Brass Eye 2001 Pedophilia Special)
• Paraphilia, chronophilia, ephebophilia
• Girl Moment

Chronophilia is a rarely used term coined by John Money. ... Age disparity in sexual relationships is a controversial topic although common among both heterosexual and homosexual couples in many cultures and societies. ... Child and youth sexuality refers to sexual behavior and activity among children. ... Grooming a child is befriending a child, often in the negative context of lowering the inhibitions of the child to sexual behavior with the other person; in addition to acts which by themselves are legal, grooming may include showing pornography to the child, perhaps even child pornography. ... A moral panic is a mass movement based on the false or at least exaggerated perception that some individual or group, frequently a minority group or a subculture, is dangerously deviant and poses a menace to society. ... The Brass Eye logo. ... Paraphilia (in Greek para παρά = besides and -philia φιλία = love) is a mental health term recently used to indicate sexual arousal in response to sexual objects or situations which may interfere with the capacity for reciprocal affectionate sexual activity. ... Chronophilia is a rarely-used term which refers to a group of paraphilias of the type in which the paraphiles sexuoerotic age is discordant with his or her actual chronological age and is concordant with the age of the partner. ... Ephebophilia, from the Greek έφηβος (ephebos) adolescent and φιλία (philia) love/friendship, is a sexual preference or orientation in which an adult is primarily or exclusively sexually attracted to adolescents (usually people between the ages of 13 and 16). ... Girl Moment or GM for short is a term used by the Childlove movement to define any sort of interaction between an adult (who has a sexual orientation favouring female children) and one or more female children. ...