Should people who are attracted to children be encouraged to seek help bef

[ShyGuyInChicago]

I watched an episode of Law and Order: SVU called "Confession." In it a 17 teen year old boy admitted having sexual feelings for his 5 year old step brother and it was getting hard to resist those feelings. The detectives could not do anything because he did not touch the little boy.

Now if this situation were to happen in real life how can we prevent that person from committing child sexual abuse in the first place?

I think a way to prevent child sexual abuse is to to encourage people who have urges to abuse children to seek psychiatric help? Does anyone here think it would work? I think we should be proactive rather than reactive and try to prevent people from becoming abusers.

[Nilnoc]

They could suggest it, but it's only been in the past 100 or so years that pedophilia has become a legal issue. Before then, people would get married, even have kids before age 20. In fact, Edgar Allen Poe (I think) married a 13 year old girl.

In no way am I condoning any sort of child abuse,child pornography, or poetry. But I think as long as they do not act on it, they should be allowed to have their fantasies. Again, AS LONG AS THEY DO NOT ACT ON THEM.

[Amnesiac]

I don't think it's right for society to harass individuals because they have personal inclinations that could possibly develop into something worse. There's no evidence that says a majority of people with pedophilic fetishes go on to molest or otherwise harm children. Some people who drink beer go on to become alcoholics, does that mean we encourage everyone who drinks to go to rehab?

Also, your post cites an episode where a relative had "sexual feelings" for his brother, but then you talk about treating people who feel the urge to 'abuse' children. I don't consider sexual feelings equal to the urge to abuse someone.

[ShyGuyInChicago]

I don't think it's right for society to harass individuals because they have personal inclinations that could possibly develop into something worse. There's no evidence that says a majority of people with pedophilic fetishes go on to molest or otherwise harm children. Some people who drink beer go on to become alcoholics, does that mean we encourage everyone who drinks to go to rehab?

Also, your post cites an episode where a relative had "sexual feelings" for his brother, but then you talk about treating people who feel the urge to 'abuse' children. I don't consider sexual feelings equal to the urge to abuse someone.

In the episode the boy said that the urge to touch his brother was getting harder and harder to resist.

[Amnesiac]

In the episode the boy said that the urge to touch his brother was getting harder and harder to resist.

Well, in that case, yes, he should be encouraged to get therapy. He's about to violate his brother's rights. However, pedophiles in general should be left alone.

[Sith Lord 13]

In no way am I condoning any sort of child abuse,child pornography, or poetry. But I think as long as they do not act on it, they should be allowed to have their fantasies. Again, AS LONG AS THEY DO NOT ACT ON THEM.

What's wrong with poetry?

Well, in that case, yes, he should be encouraged to get therapy. He's about to violate his brother's rights. However, pedophiles in general should be left alone.

What about putting the option out there for anyone who wants that counseling?

[Dunce]

Even though this is Ramblings of the Wise I'm not going to ramble on.
I think people should be made get help for this kind of thing before they're just labelled a mosnter. Like, it's different if the person thinks its ok to abuse children for their enjoyment. But people who are attracted to children and genuinely don't want to harm anyone should be encouraged to get help.

[Death]

If the person attracted to children is as able to abstain from any inappropiate action as a normal adult would with another adult (or near enough since he was 17) of the opposite (or same) sex, then there is no real problem since it's all in the mind - freedom of thought. However, since this 17-year old boy is saying that he's finding it very hard to resist (assuming he literally means this), then there is clearly a problem. People should be physically capable of abstaining from sexual acts no matter how attracted to someone they are. So in his case, he should probably get help before he gets labelled as a pedophile.

[Amnesiac]

What about putting the option out there for anyone who wants that counseling?

Sure, the option should always be on the table – that applies to anyone with any problem, really – but I'm strongly against society pestering pedophiles to undergo therapy if they're not going to do anything. It's like having people bug Muslims to go to a Christian church simply because they're Muslims.

[Death]

Sure, the option should always be on the table – that applies to anyone with any problem, really – but I'm strongly against society pestering pedophiles to undergo therapy if they're not going to do anything. It's like having people bug Muslims to go to a Christian church simply because they're Muslims.

This.

[Sith Lord 13]

It's like having people bug Muslims to go to a Christian church simply because they're Muslims.

How?

[Amnesiac]

How?

I didn't word that analogy well, but I guess it all comes down to the same premise: that it's wrong to harass a group of people simply because you don't approve of their lifestyle. Some pedophiles are violent, just like some Muslims – that doesn't mean we should go around trying to convert the non-violent ones to a "better way of life".

[Quick_Sylver]

Personally, I vote they should be allowed to get help, and yet, how many psychs would be able to handle that?

[Severus Snape]

Should people who are attracted to (insert anything other than adult, heterosexual married spouses) be encouraged to seek help?

Let's all stop freaking out about peoples' sexualities. As long as nobody is being raped (read forcibly made to have sex) we shouldn't care.

[Sogeking]

So long they are strong enough to resist their urges, than no they don't need help.

[Sith Lord 13]

Should people who are attracted to (insert anything other than adult, heterosexual married spouses) be encouraged to seek help?

Let's all stop freaking out about peoples' sexualities. As long as nobody is being raped (read forcibly made to have sex) we shouldn't care.

Anyone who's fetish relates to being the aggressor in a non-consensual act should be encouraged to seek help, as it's better to head it off at the pass, when it's easier to impact, then to wait for someone to harm someone else.

[Severus Snape]

Anyone who's fetish relates to being the aggressor in a non-consensual act should be encouraged to seek help, as it's better to head it off at the pass, when it's easier to impact, then to wait for someone to harm someone else.

I didn't argue otherwise. However I reject the notion that even someone as young as five is unable to consent to something like that as long as he/she actually understands what will happen. Regardless of my personal opinions on the matter (I find the thought of having sex with children disgusting) who am I to judge what two consenting people decide to do?