Writes Hera, Content writer
Headline Diplomat eMagazine, LUDCI.eu
Some countries have no specification on the legal age limit for marriage, like South Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Equatorial Guinea, Yemen, Gambia, and Somalia. This legal loophole allows paedophiles to have sexual relations with children without penalty from the government.
Amongst the hundreds of taboos in society, Paedophilia occupies a significant position in people’s hearts. The action is so abhorred that convicted prisoners beat child molesters to death with little to no remorse.
Unfortunately, despite how aggressively people are against this taboo, Paedophilia still exists today. Sometimes, it’s disguised as religion or tradition, legal Loopholes, or an opportunity to escape poverty.
This article will explore this delicate subject and reveal ways Paedophilia still exists in society and some suggestions to eradicate the taboo. Read on!
Pedophilia in Today’s Society
Pedophilia is recognized as a mental disorder causing someone to be attracted to prepubescent children or attempt to initiate sexual relations with these prepubescent children. While it’s considered taboo, several iterations of the heinous act still exist today.
These include:
1. Child Marriage
According to UNICEF, Child Marriage is the formal or informal union of a child under 18 with an adult or even another child. While both genders are victims of this form of child abuse, girls are primarily affected, with approximately one in five girls getting married in childhood globally.
In the case of an adult wedding of a child, multiple factors contribute to this occurrence. For example, poverty can make parents “sell” their child through marriage to a financially stable person to tackle debt and escape monetary misery.
However, religion and tradition are the most common reasons for this Paedophilic act. Some cultures and religious beliefs indeed encourage the union of adults with children under 18.
For example, according to Statistica, Nigeria currently has the world’s highest child marriage rate, with more than three-fourths of girls getting married at 18. This occurrence is due to the country’s traditional perception of women as Housewives and child bearers.
In terms of religion, according to Council on Foreign Relations, child marriage is prevalent in faiths like Islam and Hinduism, while equally Christians in Burkina Faso and Ethiopia also participate in this practice.
2. Legal Loopholes
Humans naturally exploit loopholes that benefit their cause; unfortunately, this desire is prevalent in child molesters as some paedophiles use legal loopholes to have sexual relations with children.
For example, some countries have no specification on the legal age limit for marriage, like South Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Equatorial Guinea, Yemen, Gambia, and Somalia. This legal loophole allows paedophiles to have sexual relations with children without any penalty from the government.
Therefore, in such locations, Paedophilia is indeed normalized despite robbing the child of their education, freedom, childhood, and social life. This conclusion is based on UNICEF reports on Child Marriage that shows that these children are more likely to experience domestic violence and even drop out of school early on in their lives.
3. Paedophilia Disguised as Sex Education
Sex education is high-quality teaching and learning on various topics relating to sex and sexuality, according to Planned Parenthood. This information is crucial for both adults and teenagers as it ensures these individuals understand their sexual desires alongside ways to practice good sexual health and avoid complications.
It’s understandable to present this information to teenagers since puberty begins during this period, and their hormones may cause them to develop an interest in sexual activity. Surprisingly, some people try to use this medium to normalize Paedophilia.
A great example of this occurrence is when a concerned mother approached the Virginia Fairfax County school board about sexually explicit books available at the school library. According to reports, the book Lawn Boy, an illustrated memoir, depicted graphic illustrations of oral sex and masturbation. On the other hand, Gender Queer contained descriptions of sex between men and children.
As the concerned mother read passages of the book to the school board, the council interpreted her, saying the pages were too graphic. This response proved her point that such content shouldn’t be shown to children aged 7 – 12 in the name of sex education.
More examples of Paedophilia disguised as sex education can be found throughout the internet as they become trending topics.
Eradicating Paedophilia in Society
Child molestation and Paedophilia are social and legal crimes that receive some of the harshest reactions. Some countries like Nigeria go as far as putting offenders in prison for 15 years, and during these years, child molesters are at higher risk of being killed in prison.
Unfortunately, Paedophilic situations still exist, with many coming from religion, tradition, exploitation of legal Loopholes, and more.
In this case, the best way to eliminate Paedophilia is to begin by amending laws that allow such traditions and religions to exploit these children. This might be difficult for some countries whose laws are based on religious practices; therefore, international pressure can compel these nations to amend their laws and save their children.
The same recommendation applies to books, as the school systems need to employ more rigorous screening methods for sex education. While it’s necessary to inform children about sexual topics to prevent exploitations, unwanted pregnancies, and more, the information should be age-appropriate.
In other words, graphic descriptions of vagina penetration, oral sex, and even anal sex are unnecessary, especially when you’re teaching sex education to younger children. Keeping the topics straightforward and supporting their knowledge, instead of arousing as suggested; else, it comes across as directly promoting paedophilia and related actions using education as a clear gun that can be used by perpetrators to perform their hideous acts against kids.
Conclusion
An attraction to individuals younger than 18 is categorized as a mental disorder and is considered a crime. Any suggestion or effort to prove otherwise is simply obscene and should be jailed with the maximum penalty of life-time imprisonment. Children are impressionable and fragile and cannot necessarily filter what is right or wrong at the young age of 3, 6 or 16. Exposing them to pressurised sexual acts, early marriage and consenting to the whims of sick minded individuals will cause irreparable damage.
In this case, lawmakers need to revise and amend laws that empower paedophiles, such as ensuring there’s a strict minimum age for sexual consent and apply specific criteria to the actual consent and respective circumstances.
Meanwhile, schools should properly assess new books teaching sex education and confirm that the information is straightforward and appropriate for the target age group.
Read relevant articles:
Paedophilia Is Neither Normal Or Legal!
The Loose Cannon Case Of Jeffrey Epstein
Presidency After Presidency, What Is Really Happening Against Paedophilia?
A Grim, Grizzly, Horrendous Tale Of Child Marriages Exposed – The Media’s Effect
Featured photo: Jorge García, Pexels
