Paedophilia

I've touched on quite controversial subjects in the past but this is the only one which can involve serious prosecution and is to be treated with extremely delicately.

I have looked up the definition of paedophilia on a couple of sites - no more, as I am pretty sure I already knew what a paedophile was anyway. So, a paedophile is someone who is exclusively attracted to pre-pubescent children, who is obviously above-age themselves.

Okay now, how are paedophiles treated by the media? Let me do a quick google-search in the 'news' section to back myself up:

This is from a search of the word 'paedophile' and already, the first page has bombarded me with very dark subjects, from rape to murder to abuse, the list goes on...

Not all paedophiles are not automatically child molesters.

A lot of people think that a paedophile must also be a horrible disgusting person because they also go out and molest them, which isn't true.

There is a difference between someone who is, unfortunately, sexually attracted to children...the end, and someone who is sexually attracted to children and goes out to groom/molest them.

This is how I see it: say you imagine murdering someone but never actually kill anyone (even I've done this, I'm sure we all have), then say you imagine murdering someone and end up spending the rest of your days behind bars because you wanted to see what slashing someone's throat would be like. 

If it's just in your head, it does no harm, and just because it's in your head does not make you a dangerous member of society.

Why am I blogging about this? Because it took a paedophile my age (22) I am acquainted with to make me open my eyes a bit more. I, like everyone, was bombarded with images of paedophiles as disgusting people who liked to exploit children; mugshots of old, slimy perverts who enjoyed doing indecent things to kids, people who were generally an unforgivable public disgrace.

I am not saying that thinking of children in a sexual manner is alright, but terrible things go on in peoples' heads all the time, it doesn't mean that they act on those thoughts. 

Paedophiles also have consciences and they literally cannot help being attracted to children, but I'm sure that a lot of them would never dream of doing anything to a child in real life because they know it would be wrong. 

They're just as disgusted by the paedophile rapists that they see on the TV as you are.