Paedophilia is a fate and not a choice, German doctor says
Research suggests up to 750,000 men in Britain may have a sexual interest in children/ Getty
Dr Klaus Beiersayshealthy societiesmust accept 'paedophilia is a reality amongst us'
>Paedophilia is a “fate, not a choice”, a leading sexual scientist has claimed.
>Dr Klaus Beier, who runs a clinic in Germany that treats people who are sexually attracted to children, told The Times of India that healthy society must accept “paedophilia is a reality amongst us”.
>Although difficult to measure, current estimatesput the prevalence of paedophilia in the general population at about one per cent.
>But research carried out by the National Crime Agency in 2015 suggested there could be as many as 750,000 men in Britain alone who may have a sexual interest in children.
>He said it was a “myth” that paedophiles could stop having sexual fantasies about children by simply choosing not to.
>“Most people believe ‘What is the problem, the guy should concentrate on women.’ They think it is a choice. But it is a fate, not a choice,” he said.“Another myth is that every person paedophilically inclined will act out.”
>His conclusions back up a claim made by a criminal psychologist that paedophilia is a "sexual orientation" like being straight or gay.
>He said that a sexual preference for children will arise during puberty and remain the same throughout an adult’s life.
>With the “incredibly high” number of child abuse images on the internet, he said “people use these pictures for masturbation and we have to reach out for them before they start”.
>Despite the lack of choice in paedophilic feelings, Dr Beier claimed it is not a psychic disorderand therefore people who act on their feelings are fully culpable for their actions, morally and legally.
