Pedophilia and stepfathers - Research Paper Example

? Pedophilia and Stepfathers Pedophilia Pedophilia is a psychosexual disorder among adults where they experience recurrent and intense sexual interests with children as objects of desire (Encyclopedia of Mental Disorders, 2011). The word is rooted from the Greek words paidos, meaning child and philia, which means love (Encyclopedia of Children and Childhood in History and Society, 2008). Pedophilia is defined not only by having sexual intercourse with the child but also by other sexual acts that exploit the child. These include touching the child’s private parts; videotaping the child’s nude body; and showing the child the pedophile’s private parts. Pedophilia happens rampantly and it happens to both girls and boys (Eric Digest, 2005). Although most reported cases happen to females at the rate of 12 out of 17, it does not mean that male children are not at risk. Some of them are just afraid to report these incidents, not out of fear to the abuser but for fear of what others might think about them. The victims’ ages range from 10 to 18 years old for males and 5 to 18 years old for females (Virola, 2011). Pedophiles believe and feel that they need to take care of the child and make them happy, and they are erroneously convinced that the child feels the same way. The pedophile may also have legitimate relationship with the child, such as being stepfather, sibling or teacher (Vaknin, 2011). According to the study made by Guerrero-Manalo, Reyes, Madrid, & Dans, (n.d., p. 16), 7% of pedophiles are the victims’ stepfathers. Aside from parental neglect, the presence of stepfather is one of the many inherent characteristics of the family environment that may lead to sexual abuse (Childhood Sexual Abuse Survivor Network 2011). In such a set-up, stepfathers have easy access to the child especially if the mother or other older siblings entrust the child to him. They live in the same house, thus making it is easy for him to enact his sexual desires onto the child when they are alone, and without anyone noticing it. Since a child is likely to be naive and easily frightened or threatened not to tell anyone of what was happening, these acts go on repeatedly without reprimand or sanction of the perpetrator. This necessitates that older members of the family be aware and cautious of the stepfather’s behavior towards the child and vice versa to detect early signs of pedophilia. Characteristics of Abusers Characterizing child sexual abusers has proven difficult because it is subjective. Continuous empirical study, however, has allowed allowed a profile or list of traits that distinguish this group. The purpose of this list is to help people ascertain which traits to look out to identify pedophiles. This is to prevent sexual abuse from happening not only with their own child but with other children as well. Although the characteristics may vary from one person to another, a general approach may still help categorize sexual abusers (Millon, Simonsen, Birket-Smith, & Davis, 1998). Here are some characteristics that may help identify if the child’s stepfather is a sexual abuser. Sexual abusers usually exhibit great interest towards female children. They stay in the house most of the time when there is a child at home and talk to them more than to adults. They give money or buy gifts for them even if there is no concrete reason (Hall & Hall, 2010). Most of the time, they ask a child to stay home with them while the others go out. They may also offer to baby sit or spend more time with the child while encouraging the mother to go out and relax. If the stepfather is becoming “touchy”, including gestures like hugging, holding or tickling, one should be beware because these are likely behavior of sexual abusers (Hall & Hall 2010). These manifestations are still considered light or unnoticeable. Some of the most obvious characteristics that classify a sexual abuser are dressing inappropriately in front of the child; always conversing about the changes and developments of the child’s body; masturbating frequently; talking to children about sex stories; consistently walking into the bathrooms or bedrooms while children are taking a bath or changing clothes (Hero, 2008). Some abusers may also bribe or threaten the child to lure her into bed. Prevention Prevention is always better than cure. Older family members should always be the ones responsible in taking care of the younger ones. They should study the stepfather’s behavior towards the child. However, if no adult is taking this effort, the child should be taught how to take care of himself or herself. If on the basis of characteristics above one suspects that her stepfather is a sexual abuser, a move has to be resolutely taken. The best way is to tell the mother or the older siblings about the suspicion (Hero, 2008). Belief in the child can prevent her stepfather from sexually abusing him or her further; however, there are several cases where the child’s stories are denied or held in disbelief. The child has to make sure that she is not left alone in the house with her stepfather, and always has to lock the bathroom and bedroom doors when bathing and dressing. The child must also run and scream for help if her stepfather is already making his move to sexually abuse her, like touching her private parts or undressing in front of her. In case the child cannot scream and run because the stepfather is holding her or covering her mouth, then biting is also an option (Hero, 2008). Sexually Abused Children Most sexually abused children are afraid to tell their mothers or someone older that they are being abused by their stepfather because they are either being physically maltreated or threatened. The younger the child is, the easier for the stepfather to threaten them. To know if the child is being abused, changes in their behavior should be taken into account. According to Landfield (2011), if the child is less communicative with the mother or other family members; school grades are getting lower or failing; is becoming a loner or keep to themselves rather than go with their friends; cries a lot; always looks depressed; and feels uneasy being near their stepfather, then the child may be sexually abused. One can also tell that the child is being sexually abused if they always experience nightmares, easily get angry, always have tantrums, do not want to be alone with any male adult and has sexual knowledge not appropriate with their age (NCTSN, 2009). Emotional and psychological changes are apparent effects of abuse, either physical or sexual (Baby Center Medical Advisory Board, 2008; Dailey, 2000). Aside from changes in behavior, there are also physical signs to know if the child is being abused. Some of these include vaginal pain, itching and bleeding and bladder or kidney infections (Neddermeyer, 2011). Regular physical examination can also help determine if the child is being abused. Dealing with Abuse Based on the facts above, if a child is being sexually abused, the mother or older family member should know how to deal with the situation. Having a heart-to-heart talk with the child would be helpful. If their suspicion is confirmed, then immediate resolution is necessary. First, they have to face the truth as denial will get nowhere and will only make the situation worse. The stepfather will keep abusing the child if he sees that the mother or other adults are blindly accepting the situation. They should also take charge and do something to avoid future abuse. They can also ask for professional help from pediatricians and psychologists. Most importantly, the abuse has to be reported to the authorities. References Baby Center Medical Advisory Board (2008). Child abuse: How to tell if something’s wrong. Retrieved from http://www.babycenter.com/0_child-abuse-how-to-tell-if-somethings-wrong_6210.bc Childhood Sexual Abuse Survivor Network (2011).Family Environment Characteristics that lead to the sexual abuse. Retrieved from http://www.csasurvivor.net/?page_id=263 Dailey, T. (2000). Harming the Little Ones: The Effects of Pedophilia on Children. Retrieved from http://www.hiddenmysteries.org/health/effects/pedophilia.html Encyclopedia of Children and Childhood in History and Society (2008). Pedophilia. Retrieved from http://www.faqs.org/childhood/Pa-Re/Pedophilia.html Encyclopedia of Mental Disorders (2011). Pedophilia. Retrieved from http://www.minddisorders.com/Ob-Ps/Pedophilia.html ERIC Digest (2003-2005). Child Sexual Abuse: What It Is and How To Prevent It. Retrieved from http://www.ericdigests.org/pre-9217/sexual.htm Guerrero-Manalo, S., Reyes, A., Madrid, B. & Dans, L. (n.d). Clinical andDevelopment Profiles of Physically Abused Children Aged Six Years and Below. Retrieved from www.childprotection.org.ph/monthlyfeatures/clinical_and_developmental_profiles.doc Hall, R. & Hall, R. (2011). A Profile of Pedophilia: Definition, Characteristics of Offenders, Recidivism, Treatment Outcomes and Forensic Issues. Retrieved from http://www.mayoclinicproceedings.com/content/82/4/457.full Hero (2008). Child Sexual Abuser Behaviors. Retrieved from http://www.hero-project.org/en/abuser-behaviors Lanfield, L. (2011). How To Tell If Your Child Is Being Sexually Abused. Retrieved from http://www.streetdirectory.com/travel_guide/15508/parenting/6_ways_to_tell_if_your_child_is_being_sexually_abused_the_grannie_detective_tells_all_.html Millon, T., Simonsen, E., Birket-Smith, M. & Davis, R. (1998). PSYCHOPATHY: Antisocial, Criminal and Violent Behavior. Retrieved from http://books.google.com.ph/books?id=LSiBsdxcGigC&pg=PA306&lpg=PA306&dq=pedophilia,+stepfather&source=bl&ots=nmRWCg3g-_&sig=gCH8OIE0tZw1DEmCfG0cWNzNHMU&hl=tl&ei=C0OJTYX8K8rRcYzFtYMK&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=5&ved=0CEEQ6AEwBDgK#v=onepage&q=pedophilia%2C%20stepfather&f=false NCTSN (2009). Child Sexual Abuse Fact Sheet. Retrieved from http://content.a-b-c.com/emailattachments/ddcmhs/DDCMHS-Child-Sexual-Abuse-Fact-Sheet.pdf Neddermeyer, D. (2011). Have You Ever Wondered If You Were Sexually Abused? Retrieved from http://talentdevelop.com/articles/HYEWIYWSA.html Vaknin, S. (2011). Pedophilia and Fetishism: Sexual Paraphilias. Retrieved from http://samvak.tripod.com/pedophilia.html Virola, R. (2011). Statistics on Violence against Women and Children: A Morally Rejuvenating Philippine Society? Retrieved from http://www.nscb.gov.ph/headlines/StatsSpeak/2008/090808_rav_wedc.asp Read More