The enormous gravity of Jerry Sandusky’s mistreatment of Children under his care blows the mind, to generate enmity for him and the entire Penn State system. Mr. Sandusky has now been found guilty in the court of law, for forty five counts out of forty eight of child molestation and abuse. Therefore, It is essential to bring to light once more the issue of child abuse and sexual misconduct that continues to destroy the lives of innocent and vulnerable children.
Jerry Sandusky’s alleged rape of many children put under his care to nurture and mentor makes one think how sometimes, children are subject to abuse even in the hands of the most trusted and respected individual. The gruesome rape of one of his victims a 10-year old boy inside the Penn State locker room, which went unreported by Mike McQueary an assistant coach, shows how far people can go to cover up bad behavior even at the expense of the most vulnerable.
As Mr. Sandusky awaits sentencing, it is important to try and see through the mind of the Pedophile to know: what drives him to commit such despicable acts towards children; why his sexual preference is mainly towards prepubescent children; why the pedophile shows no remorse for his actions but rather persistency in his quest to abuse children; what cure is available to the pedophile; and what the society can do to help protect our children.
To the society at large, the pedophile is usually a man but it is important to say women as well, engage in pedophilic behavior towards children. However, in most cases the pedophile is a man and the victim children. Pedophilia is considered a psychiatric disorder in adults mostly age 16 or older; those who exhibit the behavior are known to have exclusive sexual preference for children age 13 or younger mainly prepubescent children that is, children of early pubertal age.
The deviant sexual behavior of the pedophile is to show incessant sexual orgies and fantasies towards children. The sexual drive makes the pedophile to act of his orgies by preying on vulnerable children, who are subject to abuse which either destroys the child physically, or leaves behind eternal mental scar.
Pedophilia may be correlated with some neurological abnormality including other personality disorders. The aberrant sexual behavior is always directed towards children rather than adults their age and those who act on such orgies show no remorse for their action but rather persist and are repeated child molester. Why? Because they believe the love they lack in adults are found in children whom they can control as they wish.
Some who study the behavior have tried to equate pedophilia to other forms of sexual orientation as in heterosexual or homosexual behaviors. However, such link is rather vague and disturbing since homosexual and heterosexual behaviors to a certain extent, have the stamp of the society. For example, heterosexual behavior is recognized and encouraged in almost all nations on earth while homosexual behavior is legal in some countries and some states in the U.S. On the other hand, pedophilia has a stigma of the abuse of children; It is considered a distasteful and aberrant sexual behavior in all societies and those who exhibit the behavior are seen as lacking any sense of moral responsibility and social duty.
As we wait the investigation to know what may have driven Mr. Sandusky to conduct himself the way he did, some have equated the behavior to a problem of self esteem and impaired or disturbed self-concept. Nonetheless, it is difficult to understand what would make a successful adult so depressed as to find solace and satisfaction only by sexually abusing children. There are behavioral patterns of a child molester that deserves noticing and now that Mr. Sandusky has been found guilty, it is fair to say what category in which he belongs, a “predatory pedophile” and a “child abuser.” Nonetheless, some of the other categories and behaviors are worth mentioning.
Child pornography plays a big role in defining the behavioral pattern of a child molester. Pedophiles are known to collect images for sexual purposes and in most cases, such images are used to prepare children for abuse and personal sexual satisfaction. They find obsession in child pornography and often possess a catalogue of their deviant sexual preference as trophies. Saving such images help validate their fantasies and those with extensive collection of photos exhibit a strong sexual preference for kids.
Some child abusers do threaten their victim to stop them from reporting the abuse. Since the victims are usually children, sometime they don’t understand the meaning of what is done to them. The pedophile may shower the selected child with gifts, clothes, toys, candies and the like. For example, based on report, Mr. Sandusky gave money, sport jerseys, and other kinds of gifts to the boys he is accused of molesting. There was also a report he took some of the boys to events as a way to make them quiet and feel safe.
Pedophiles are known to demonstrate complex behaviors in order to get access to children or any child they fantasize about. It is not uncommon to find child molesters near parks and playing grounds where children are most likely to be. Some pretend to be mentors and role models but in actuality, taking up such responsibility is a way for them to get access to the most vulnerable in the society.
Some engage in the act of slavery by gaining access to children from the poorest parts of the world and then use such children for sexual pleasures and fulfillment of their orgies. What would make an adult like Mr. Sandusky to demonstrate such behavior is still unknown. Some studies claim the aberrant behavior may be linked to brain injury suffered by the pedophile as a child; some claim it may be due to neurological characteristics present at birth, that increases the chance of being pedophilic. Others have also linked the behavior to genetic characteristics but so far, such evidence is inconclusive and there is no prove genetic factors cause one to demonstrate pedophilic behavior.
The question is how do we restrain the pedophile from preying on vulnerable children? So far the solution has been through the use of medicine and law enforcement. Some known child molesters have been institutionalized for their behavior, some have been subjected to harsh sentencing as a form of deterrence and warning to keep them away from children, and some are subject to cognitive behavioral therapy but so far, the success rate is low, there are many repeated offenders and sometimes the confinement if temporary have little or no effect.
The use of drugs is known to help suppress the sex behavior and lower the sex urge of pedophiles. Chemical castration is among the procedure used to help lower their sex drive; however, this is not conclusive as a cure. Also used is physical castration and while both procedures are somehow effective, there are limitations to when they can be used. There are also those who criticize physical castration as excessive form of treatment so what is the best form of treatment?
Many have suggested indefinite confinement as the only way to completely restrain the pedophile; that is, removing him completely away from children and the society and putting him behind bars for the rest of his life. Such suggestion has also met criticism as unjust, unconstitutional, and excessive form of punishment. In Kansas v. Hendricks a pedophile with a mental abnormality which predisposes him to commit sexually violent offenses, making him a menace to the health and safety of the society was confined indefinitely by the state. The state’s decision was challenged and in answer, the Supreme Court declared constitutional the Sexually Violent Predator Act [SVPA] under which he was subject to confinement.
Pedophile advocacy group have proposed that pedophilia be accepted as a form of sexual orientation rather than child abuse; they want the legalization of child pornography as well as ending the age of consent law. These demands are rather weird and unconscionable. The fact that pedophilia is a despicable act of aggression towards children is incontrovertible; therefore, to have some in the society call for the legalization of the abuse of minors is beyond understanding.
The best the society can do to protect our children is to be vigilant. Education can play an important role in helping parents study the behavioral pattern of a pedophile; it is also very important to quickly report strange activities in your surroundings. Checking the registration of sex offenders in your environs is also essential; Sometimes children show strange behaviors at home that should warn the parent that an abuse is in progress and when a child starts to bring expensive gifts home, the parent should inquire to know why the adult is so interested in their child.
One comment received, indicated the importance of parents educating their children about sex abuse at an early age; this does not mean children should lie about sex abuse but when a child reports a strange touching, the parent may verify the circumstances to know if an abuse is ongoing. If you notice or see something, say something. Mr. McQueary failed to report the sexual encounter he witnessed between Mr. Sandusky and the innocent 10 year old boy; if he or Joe Paterno had exercised a sense of social responsibility, many children at Penn State would have been protected from abuse. Penn State has now decided to remove Its statue of Paterno this weekend, an indication the whole child abuse scandal was a cover-up. The man who once called himself a “tickle monster” during a shower abuse is now guilty and likely to spend the remainder of his life in jail; hopefully, the society can learn how to better protect vulnerable children.
Dr. Adeyemi Oshunrinade [E. JD] is a writer and published author; an expert in general law, foreign relations, and the United Nations.
Categories: Child Abuse and Pedophilia
Gettysburg Institute Post 
It is very essential to make you child aware of child abuse. However, most parents are hesitant about discussing it with their child at such a young age, but it is very essential to talk about child abuse even to your child of 3 yrs. Once your child start going to school, it is not possible being with him always. Perverts are mostly targeting very young children who are not aware of child abuse and who can easily be manipulated. Surely, all of us want to save our children from this horrible nightmare. We known that once a child has been victimized, he is badly affected in a psychological way for rest of the life. Do not let your child’s smile and confidence fade away.
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Agree with Jessica’s statement; it is all about education parents should inform their kids at an early age to make them aware of child abuse. Kids should know that unnecessary touching of certain parts of their body by adults is unacceptable I mean, this is not to say kids should lie however, by teaching them to say something, the parent can determine from the circumstances if an abuse is ongoing.
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