Why do it seems that pedophilia is, nowadays, percieved as the most vicious crime, along with terrorism? Why not, for example, sexual assault?

I mean it as an actual question, but first I should clarify my intent :

-I’m not advocating for normalizing pedophilia

-I have been a victim of it myself. Luckily, I’ve mostly recovered from it and live a happy life.

-Because of my political commitments, which are totally unrelated to this question, I’ve met some old people from the 70s who advocated for the depenalization of consensual sex between minors and adults (if such a thing exist, which can legitimately be doubted).

-I’m friend with one of them but I could never understand how that idea came to their minds. She knows I oppose the very idea. But it got me curious.

What I want to ask is, what, in contemporary history, contributed to make pedophilia the #1 vicious crime, surpassing rape in most consciences (if I’m not mistaken), in your opinion?

Feel free to delete this if that’s not acceptable. Also, I didn’t include the word “pedophilia” in the title to avoid triggering people who may have such experiences.

  • molave@reddthat.com
    0·
    6 months ago

    To be pedantic, child sexual abuse is the vicious crime. Pedophilia per se is, I would say, a part of a person with it. They can’t help but get attracted to children. And under no circumstances that can be fulfilled legally, because to do so is committing statutory rape. Children can’t consent. This distinction is very important because (a) not all pedophiles sexually assault children and not all child sexual assault perpetrators are pedophiles; and (b) pedophiles who know that acting on it is wrong get little outside help.