Profile of a Pedophile

1. Profile of a Pedophile Deegan Malone, EdS, LPC-S, JSOCC

2. Paraphelia is “recurrent intense sexual urges and sexually arousing fantasies generally involving: nonhuman objects; the suffering or humiliation of oneself or one's partner (not merely simulated); or animals, children, or other nonconsenting persons.” • Pedophilia is one of the paraphilias. It involves an interest in children that is abnormal. Paraphelia: Encyclopedia of Mental Disorders

3. Pedophilia signifies the erotic preference for children who are prepubescent. • Hebephilia denotes the erotic preference for children who have reached puberty, i.e., ages 11 or 12–14 (Blanchard et al.). • Archives of Sexual Behavior • June2009, Volume 38, Issue 3, pp 335-350 What is pedophilia?

4. Pedopheliamay involve children of the same sex or opposite sex, or both sexes. • Some are attracted to both adults and children. What is pedophelia?

5. Certain indicators, when combined with behavior that is questionable, may be helpful in alerting others to a potential problem. Pedophiles Can Be Anyone

6. Male, aged 30 or more. • Not usually married, with few friends his own age. • If married, the relationship does not include sexual relations—more of a companionship. • Gaps in employment history which may serve as an indicator for lost jobs or incarcerations. Characteristics

7. Client I

8. Client II

9. Fascinated with child activities and children, with a preference to child activities over adult-oriented activities. • Often refers to children in exaggerated and inappropriate angelic terms, such as: • innocent, heavenly, divine, pure • Often target specific age group of children. Characteristics

10. Has child-like hobbies, such as toy collecting, model cars or planes, and keeping exotic pets. • Environment or special room may display child-like décor appropriate to the age and sex of targeted children. • May prefer children near puberty because they are curious about sex but lack experience. Characteristics

11. Often work in environments that put them in daily contact with children. • May volunteer to work in roles such as coaching, contact sport instruction, or tutoring where there is unsupervised access to children. Pedophiles Work Around Children

12. Often seeks out “shy, handicapped, and withdrawn children, or those who come from troubled homes or underprivileged homes.” • He then shows extra attention, gives gifts, promises trips to zoos, concerts, amusement parks, and other fun places. • Or, he may find them online and gain access through the Internet. The Target Child

13. According to FBI.gov, it is thought that more than 500,000 pedophiles are on the Internet each day. • Innocent Images National Initiative agents are tracking child predators raising awareness about the “dark side” of the Internet— “particularly when it comes to social networking sites and, increasingly, online gaming forums” that allow pedophiles to gain access through developing trust with children. Internet access

14. “There are basically two types of pedophiles on the Internet—those who seek face-to-face meetings with children and those who are content to anonymously collect and trade child pornography images.” www.FBI.gov

15. “Those seeking face-to-face meetings create bogus identities online, sometimes posing as teenagers. Then they troll the Internet for easy victims—youngsters with low self-esteem, problems with their parents, or a shortage of money. The pedophile might find a 14-year-old girl, for example, who has posted seemingly harmless information on her space for anyone to see. The pedophile sends a message saying he goes to high school in a nearby town and likes the same music or TV shows she likes.” www.FBI.gov

16. “Then the pedophile cultivates a friendly online relationship that investigators call ‘grooming.’ It could continue for days or weeks before the pedophile begins bringing up sexual topics, asking for explicit pictures or for a personal meeting. By that time an emotional connection has been made—and pedophiles can be master manipulators. Even if an actual meeting never takes place, it is important to note that youngsters can be victimized by such sexually explicit online contact.” www.FBI.gov

17. To gain popularity through amassing friends on social networking sites, about 70 percent of children accept “friend” requests even if they do not know the requester. • New trend among pedophiles to begin “grooming youngsters through online gaming forums, some of which allow two-way voice and video communication. Parents who might be vigilant about monitoring their children’s Internet activity often have no idea that online video gaming platforms can pose a threat.” www.FBI.gov

18. Pedophiles use manipulation with a child by becoming a “friend,” referring to them in special terms to make them feel good, listening and understanding, and then enticing with adult activities, such as viewing pornography. • Sometimes alcohol or drugs are used to keep the child from remembering events or resisting activities. Manipulation of the Innocent

19. Pedophiles may target a single parent in order to gain access to a child. • If the parent is working, the pedophile may have opportunities to be in private with the child to perpetrate the abuse. The Single Parent

20. Pedophiles exert great amounts of energy stalking their victims and will wait very patiently to cultivate relationships with potential victims. They might be developing many potential victims at once. • “Many of them believe that what they are doing is not wrong and that having sex with a child is actually ‘healthy’ for the child.” Fighting Back

21. Nearly all pedophiles collect pornography and many will collect souvenirs from victims. • These possessions are kept and valued at all cost by the pedophile. Fighting Back

22. Eventually, children grow up and often recall activities that occurred. • “Often pedophiles are not brought to justice until such time occurs and victims are angered by being victimized and want to protect other children from the same consequences.” Fighting Back

23. Megan’s Law—a federal law passed in 1996 that authorizes local law enforcement agencies to notify the public about convicted sex offenders living, working or visiting their communities, have helped expose the pedophile and allows parents to better protect their children. • In Alabama, approximately 14,000 had registered as of 6/11/2012. Megan’s Law

24. One of the issues faced by child victims is the loss of control over their bodies during the trauma. • “The court process can give power back to the child. If the child feels empowered by the court process, the outcome can be positive.” Is the court process terribly traumatic for child victims? Might it be worse than the abuse itself?

25. In many states, child victims may have special provisions. • Child advocacy centers are helpful in reassuring the child and family members. Here, child-friendly interview techniques are used by trained interviewers specializing in victim-witness techniques. Is the court process terribly traumatic for child victims? Might it be worse than the abuse itself?

26. Because most sexual offenses go unreported, it is difficult to know if rates are increasing. • New laws related to registration and community notification of convicted sex offenders may cause an even higher rate of underreporting (may be a family member). Is sexual offending on the increase or is there just more reporting?

27. In 2009, 79% of perpetrators were non-strangers to female victims, as compared with 26% to male victims. Is sexual offending on the increase or is there just more reporting?

28. Note: Data table from the U.S. National Crime Victimization Study Is sexual offending on the increase or is there just more reporting?

29. Stigma • Shame • Repressed memories • Potential repercussions to victim and/or perpetrator • Inconsistent reporting protocols, and • Inadequate communication skills due to developmental disabilities • Age and cognitive development of the Victim Reporting Problems

30. Healthy Sexual Solutions Deegan Malone EdS,LPCS,JSOCC(205)356-5083 PO Box 430174, Birmingham, Alabama 35243 HealthySexualSolutions@gmail.com www.HealthySexualSolutions.com Thank you!

31. Unless otherwise indicated, the material in this presentation came from “Portrait of a Pedophile,” by Charles Montaldo, available at http://crime.about.com/od/sex/p/pedophile.htm?rd=1 Other references: • http://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/2011/may/predators_051711 • http://www.minddisorders.com/Ob-Ps/Pedophilia.html#b • http://www.bjs.gov/index.cfm?ty=tp&tid=317 References