Pedophiles possess no tidy criminal profile. They come from all walks
of life. Some are married, some single; some professional, some
blue-collar; some young, some retired. Some prefer boys, and some
prefer girls. Some are attracted to young children, others to older
children. In short, pedophilia, or an adult's sexual attraction to a
child, is a sickness that does not discriminate by race, class or age.
It knows no bounds, and afflicts people in every segment of society.
Most pedophiles do, however, share several characteristics. The
overwhelming majority of pedophiles are male. Only a very small
percentage of women abuse children sexually, and they are usually
cooperating with a male aggressor. Few pedophiles are able to resist
their powerful urges to initiate sexual contact with children. As a
result, child molesters often make efforts to gain access to or
authority over children. They take jobs where children are easily
approached, or they actively pursue youngsters by befriending parents
(particularly single parents), attending events for children, coaching
children's sports, chaperoning camping trips, frequenting video arcades
or offering baby-sitting services to friends, family and neighbors with
children. The majority of pedophiles prefer children on the brink of
puberty and prey on a child's sexual ignorance and curiosity. To quote
one molester, "Give me a kid who knows nothing about sex, and you've
given me my next victim." Small groups of militant and highly organized
child molesters operate worldwide through pedophile organizations,
whose members claim genuine concern for the welfare of children. Their
belief is that sex with children is harmless; some even claim that
sexual relations are healthy for children. These groups' goals include
decriminalizing child molestation and lowering the age of consent. The
actual number of members in these organizations is unknown, though one,
the Rene Guyon Society, is listed in the Gale Encyclopedia of
Associations as having 5,000 members. Other major pedophile
organizations include NAMBLA (The North American Man-Boy Love
Association) and PAN (Pedophile Alert Network) in the Netherlands.
Members receive monthly magazines and newsletters that include
seduction techniques and advice on avoiding detection and prosecution.
One group's "Lure of the Month" column gives advice on approaching and
seducing children. In one month's column, soap crayons were praised for
their effectiveness: "Children undress themselves!" NAMBLA's
"Entrapment of the Month" column has alerted members to covert
government child-pornography sting operations. In one newsletter alone,
NAMBLA correctly identified 10 sting operations in five different
states. In just three years, NAMBLA exposed and compromised four
federal sting operations as well, including Project Looking Glass,
Candy's Love Club, Project Sea Hawk and Project Borderline. Clearly,
these organizations have connections. In addition to attending
pedophile conferences and conventions, some child molesters meet via
the Internet where they may swap methods, success stories, even names,
descriptions and images of children. Customs officials indicate that
the anonymous nature of Internet communication is quickly replacing the
printed pedophile newsletter. While the average child molester does not
belong to a pedophile organization, it would be foolish not to take
seriously any group whose members are committed to sexual activity with
children. Indeed, pedophiles are often difficult to detect and can be
found in the most unlikely places. Knowing this, we must provide our
children with the tools to recognize and avoid potentially abusive
individuals and situations.
Pedophiles possess no tidy criminal profile. They come from all walks
of life. Some are married, some single; some professional, some
blue-collar; some young, some retired. Some prefer boys, and some
prefer girls. Some are attracted to young children, others to older
children. In short, pedophilia, or an adult's sexual attraction to a
child, is a sickness that does not discriminate by race, class or age.
It knows no bounds, and afflicts people in every segment of society.
Most pedophiles do, however, share several characteristics. The
overwhelming majority of pedophiles are male. Only a very small
percentage of women abuse children sexually, and they are usually
cooperating with a male aggressor. Few pedophiles are able to resist
their powerful urges to initiate sexual contact with children. As a
result, child molesters often make efforts to gain access to or
authority over children. They take jobs where children are easily
approached, or they actively pursue youngsters by befriending parents
(particularly single parents), attending events for children, coaching
children's sports, chaperoning camping trips, frequenting video arcades
or offering baby-sitting services to friends, family and neighbors with
children. The majority of pedophiles prefer children on the brink of
puberty and prey on a child's sexual ignorance and curiosity. To quote
one molester, "Give me a kid who knows nothing about sex, and you've
given me my next victim." Small groups of militant and highly organized
child molesters operate worldwide through pedophile organizations,
whose members claim genuine concern for the welfare of children. Their
belief is that sex with children is harmless; some even claim that
sexual relations are healthy for children. These groups' goals include
decriminalizing child molestation and lowering the age of consent. The
actual number of members in these organizations is unknown, though one,
the Rene Guyon Society, is listed in the Gale Encyclopedia of
Associations as having 5,000 members. Other major pedophile
organizations include NAMBLA (The North American Man-Boy Love
Association) and PAN (Pedophile Alert Network) in the Netherlands.
Members receive monthly magazines and newsletters that include
seduction techniques and advice on avoiding detection and prosecution.
One group's "Lure of the Month" column gives advice on approaching and
seducing children. In one month's column, soap crayons were praised for
their effectiveness: "Children undress themselves!" NAMBLA's
"Entrapment of the Month" column has alerted members to covert
government child-pornography sting operations. In one newsletter alone,
NAMBLA correctly identified 10 sting operations in five different
states. In just three years, NAMBLA exposed and compromised four
federal sting operations as well, including Project Looking Glass,
Candy's Love Club, Project Sea Hawk and Project Borderline. Clearly,
these organizations have connections. In addition to attending
pedophile conferences and conventions, some child molesters meet via
the Internet where they may swap methods, success stories, even names,
descriptions and images of children. Customs officials indicate that
the anonymous nature of Internet communication is quickly replacing the
printed pedophile newsletter. While the average child molester does not
belong to a pedophile organization, it would be foolish not to take
seriously any group whose members are committed to sexual activity with
children. Indeed, pedophiles are often difficult to detect and can be
found in the most unlikely places. Knowing this, we must provide our
children with the tools to recognize and avoid potentially abusive
individuals and situations.
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