Child Sexual Abuse - Reader Feedback and My Response

I recently received this response to my "profile of child sexual abusers" article. I am a adamant believer in allowing readers to see everyone's persepective so I have presented the response in full for you to see and evaluate. I will forewarn everyone to take this person's ideas (and mine for that matter) critically, for over this medium it is important that everyone investigate the source of ones claims and find the original information for ones self.

The Email (from *@aol.com) October 11, 1999

As a therapist who works with sex offenders, I have found your article to be lacking in fact. The three types of child sexual abusers that you describe are not accurate. What you described left out the majority of child sexual abusers. For example, the majority of child molesters select their victim from within their own family, or the child of a family friend. This gives them access to the child to perform the grooming behaviors that take place before the child is sexually molested or sexually assaulted.

Also, there is a difference between a pedophile and someone who has sexually abused a child. A pedophile is typically classified as a person whose primary attraction is to children. They do receive sexual gratification from the abuse. Some other people who have sexually abused children are not pedophiles, rather they are attracted mainly to adults. At certain points in their lives, usually during stressful times, they regress back and sexually abuse. This type typically have severe boundary problems. All child sexual abusers use some form of grooming, that is, paying special attention or buying gifts, in order to abuse the child.

As far as the second type goes, in which you classify as child haters, an issue of gaining power over a victim does not make the person necessarily a sociopath (Psychopath is the currently used term). If you are making reference to a sadistic type of offender, than that is different and should be classified as such. This is not simply about power however, this is an issue of sex and aggression being fused together. Controlling the victim, and inflicting pain upon them, is where they receive their sexual gratification from. Also, this should be noted that an offender who commits this type of act would be treated as a rapist, as the dynamics are that of rape. This type is also extremely rare.

Finally, you discussed the last type of child sexual abuser as those who profit from child pornography and child prostitution. The primary motivation is not financial, and it goes into the types discussed above. This is not a type in and of itself, and should not be addressed as such.

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