Pedophilia and conflict

This research is centered on pedophiles and their place in Dutch society and based on the question: To what extent is there a conflict due to the presence of pedophiles in Dutch society? Data was gathered and analyzed through a qualitative content analysis of newspaper articles and semi-structured interviews with pedophiles. In this research pedophiles are defined as people with a sexual age orientation directed towards children younger than sixteen years old. A sexual orientation does not only revolve around sexual feelings, but romantic feelings as well.

Two main results were found. First, newspapers present a generalized image of pedophiles as people who have engaged or are likely to engage in a form of pedosexuality. This overgeneralization leads to the formation of a stigmatized stereotype, that of a criminal sexual child abuser. Second, the respondents experience that stigma in their daily life, since they do not feel accepted by society. Instead they experience structural conflict to some extent in the form of unequal life chances. The fact that they are unable to speak out about their sexual identity can lead to difficulties in the social life, in asking for protection and professional help, and in living without fear of discovery. The latter is a form of latent violence.

This research builds further on both classic and recent literature, yet is innovating in the sense that it connects conflict studies to the concept of pedophilia. Conflict is being used as a fluid and broad concept, instead of keeping it static and narrow. This research shows how conflict studies can be relevant in addressing conflict that is not directly visible, since it helps in understanding societal developments and structures. [...]

Granting legal rights specifically to pedophiles, as is being done with homosexuals, is unlikely to be supported by large segments of society. Nonetheless, there is a necessity for more debate (Seto, 2012), and in social sciences pedophilia has to be taken out of the taboo zone. If only based on the premises of fundamental human rights, there needs to be a more open attitude towards pedophiles, since they, just as other people with deviant sexual interests, are entitled to equal treatment and no discrimination.

source: Paper 'Pedophilia and Conflict - Research on the conflicted relation between the presence of pedophiles and Dutch society' by R. Padding; Master: Human Geography; Specialization: Conflicts, Territories and Identities, Radboud University Nijmegen; Supervisor: dr. H. W. B. Bomert; Second reviewer: dr. G. Hekma; Date of publication: 27 November 2015