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A survey found 1 in 6 men admit sexual feelings for children. So is paedophilia increasing? (2023, linked study is worth a read). (theconversation.com)

submitted 4 days ago by naevaTheRat@lemmy.dbzer0.com to c/news@aussie.zone

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I came across this after someone I know made some claims about pedophilia prevalence I found unbelievable. Leading me to the survey.

Surveys are hard, there's always some percentage of people that say strange things, and self reports could be over or underestimates of prevalence.

I think that the way the results bundle 19 year old who watch a porn video that had a 17 year old in it, and 50 year old that watched a porn video of a 5 year old together is needlessly inflammatory. While neither is good I think culturally we are generally vastly more worried about what leads to the second, or even what makes the 50 year old look for 17 year olds (i.e. cases where the 19 year old didn't grow out of it).

Still, some of these stats are extremely troubling to me, and I'm interested in what people make of it.

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[–] captainlezbian@lemmy.world 3 points 3 days ago (4 children)

I'm really curious how women's numbers compare. I suspect it's closer than most think

[–] naevaTheRat@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (1 children)

At least one Australian expert says between 3% as likely as men to 25% as likely as men to offend. See below.

You can just look stuff up you know.

Joe Sullivan has spent 26 years counselling child sex offenders in the United Kingdom and is visiting Australia to attend an international police conference at Bond University on the Gold Coast.

While experts agree the majority of paedophiles are men, Dr Sullivan says women are responsible for more offences than previously thought.

"What I can say for certain is that it's way more prevalent than people fully appreciate or understand," he told the ABC.

"There's some research to suggest it could be as high as 25 per cent.

"However, when you look at the representation within the criminal justice system it could be as low as 3 to 4 per cent of overall convictions."

source: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-04-28/female-paedophiles-prevalent-says-leading-forensic-psychologist/6428710

[–] captainlezbian@lemmy.world 3 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Ok, I meant as in identical study but on women because that's one of the basic questions one should be asking from a place of scientific curiosity. In general when a study like this is gendered even with fair reason it's good to be curious about what would happen the other way.

Though fair enough I should've googled it

[–] naevaTheRat@lemmy.dbzer0.com 0 points 3 days ago (1 children)

It happened the other way because the vast amount (97%) of convicted offenders are men, and that expert consensus is men are vastly more likely to offend. People have limited time and money, so research is funded when it is able to clearly state its impact.

I wish we had infinite resources in the academy, but we do not.

[–] captainlezbian@lemmy.world 7 points 3 days ago

Sorry sometimes I get a little old fashioned and have scientific curiosity for its own sake. The academy indoctrinated me like that.

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