Research into views on paedophilia

Sean Plunket writes:

A research company has been canvassing for participants in a survey as part of a post graduate thesis at Victoria. 

The thesis is entitled “Testing the Efficacy of Educational Modules for Reducing the Stigma Towards people with a sexual interest in minors.” 

Now I don’t have a varsity degree, but I’ll have a crack at putting that word salad into common parlance. 

“Can we teach people to be more accepting of those who want to sexually abuse kids?” 

As a researcher, I’m not quite so quick to rush to judge this project – it may depend on the details.

First of all it is important to differentiate between those with a sexual attraction towards children and those who act on it. Most people can’t control whom they are attracted to, but they certainly can control whether or not they break the law and commit rape or sexual abuse.

Paedophilia is a psychiatric disorder where someone is primarily attracted towards children. Not all paedophiles go on to abuse children, and not all child sex abusers are paedophiles (as in they are also attracted to adults).

Plunket continues:

I am all for research into what makes someone a paedophile, and how those blighted individuals might be helped to abandon their perverted urges.  Many of those who engage in such abhorrent acts are victims of similar abuse and in some sense deserve help and sympathy but rebranding them as “people with a sexual interest in minors” only normalises their evil behaviour. 

Again there is a difference between interest and behaviour.

I would like to take part in the research and see how Victoria University thinks I might be educated out of my views on child abusers. There is something in it for me as I could win one of ten $50 Prezzy vouchers if I take part. 

The “research” has been approved by Victoria’s ethics committee and has the blessing of its Vice Chancellor. 

I’m not educated enough to understand what the research is really about, and I’d love the University to explain it to me but so far……. crickets. 

I would be interested also to know exactly what the focus of the research is, and its intended use. Is the focus on those who have an attraction but don’t act on it, or on those who have an attraction and do abuse children?