Child molesters and their victims may not have anything in common, or they may both be in the same family or involved in the same youth activity: one as the leader; the other as the child member.
And although the victim of child molestation is always a minor, the individual who perpetrates such an act can range in age from being a child themselves to someone as old as the elderly. The child molester-or pedophile as they are also known-can be male or female, devoid of a high school education or college degreed, and they can be poor or wealthy. They are as diverse as the victims they select.
Child Molesters and Victim Selection
A child molester might victimize children in their own nuclear family or that of a friend, neighbor, or coworker. Sometimes their victimization choice is a result of opportunity more than preferentiality; however, both types of victimization can occur and make up the two types of this deviant criminal: situational and preferential.
Child Molester Motivations: Situational and Preferential
Many people wrongly assume that child molesters are only after sexual gratification and can’t function normally with an adult sexual partner. While this is true in preferential molesters, who seek specific ages and appearances of children to meet their deviant sexual desire fulfillment, it is not necessarily so with situational molesters.
Situational Child Molesters
Situational molesters molest children as stressors occur in their lives that they are unable to manage (a death in their family, a divorce, a job loss). Their victimization may only incorporate touching of the private parts of a child, never escalating into other sexual acts, but that is not always the case.
And while their list of victims is usually less in number compared to their more severe counterpart-the preferential molester-the psychological, emotional, and physical damage they can inflict can be just as damaging to the child as the preferential offender. And they do have the capacity to be just as violent physically.
Preferential Child Molesters
The most dangerous and violent child molesters are the preferential type. They select their victims based on age, sex, and physical or behavioral characteristics. And even though sex is a motivation for this offender, it isn’t uncommon for them to escalate to murder as well.
Child Molesters and Their Occupations
While a situational child molester could be employed in any field, the preferential child molester would be more likely to seek out occupations that involve the presence of children. This desire to work in schools, daycare businesses and other similar child-focused entities is because these employment fields lend themselves to potential unmonitored access of children of the sex and age of their victim preference.
This can result in them seeking positions of trust such as school teachers, day care workers, neighborhood babysitters, school bus drivers, sports activity coaches, recreational center employees or club troop leaders.
Protecting Against Child Molesters
Listening to your child and not forcing them to spend time with individuals they are uncomfortable around is a good first step in helping to prevent their victimization. If a child doesn’t like it when Grandpa Al tries to hold them, don’t let Grandpa Al hold them.
Another good measure in protecting children from victimization is developing good communication with your child and thoroughly researching potential caretakers or activity leaders that they will be in contact with at school or elsewhere.
Finally, don’t dismiss or make light of any fears your child expresses to you about any individual (including family). And don’t allow other adults to downplay or reject any accusation your child makes about inappropriate touching from any source.
Signs of Victimization
Bed-wetting, sleeplessness, extreme changes in behavior, temper tantrums about being made to visit people or places that they previously wanted to go, and unexplainable redness in the groin area can be indications that victimization has or is occurring.
Resource
Profiling Violent Crimes: An Investigative Tool (Third Edition) by Ronald M. Holmes and Stephen T. Holmes
