According to statistics, 40% of sexual offenses against children are committed by people known to the victim, including members of their immediate family or community. Sexual abuse is a problem that can affect any child, anywhere. The perpetrator may be someone you would never suspect.

The Commission’s report states: The image of the so-called typical perpetrator of sexual offenses against minors is very far removed from reality. We often imagine the so-called typical pedophile as an older man who loiters near playgrounds, secretly takes photographs of children, and kidnaps the victims, subsequently sexually abusing them at the first
signs of their parents’ inattention. Examples include high-profile, memorable cases involving the sexual abuse of children and the commission of other crimes, such as those of Mariusz Trynkiewicz and Joseph Fritzl. (...)

One of the causes of child sexual abuse is that a person lacks the opportunity or ability to establish and maintain close social relationships with other people. Engaging in sexual intercourse with an adult woman or man (except in the case of paid prostitution) usually requires establishing a romantic relationship. Typically, we first get to know someone
over a longer period, meet, and discuss increasingly complex topics, and only later engage in sexual contact with that person. This seemingly simple social process can be disrupted at many different stages. As a result, a person may be unable to establish a romantic or sexual relationship with an adult partner; therefore, in order to release sexual arousal, the victim is often someone physically weaker and unaware of many social aspects—a child. (...) Another reason why people without a pedophilic disorder may also commit crimes against children’s sexual freedom is a state of alcohol intoxication. (...)

What might the psychological profile of a perpetrator of offenses involving the sexual abuse of children be if they are not a “preferential” perpetrator, meaning one diagnosed with a pedophilic disorder?

Research indicates the presence of specific deficits in empathy, that is, the ability to share the emotional states of others, including attempting to “guess” another person’s emotional state. This often concerns people with low self-esteem, who consider themselves inferior to others. There are also people who assess the conditions of their lives, including life satisfaction, as significantly worse compared with those of other people. However, the relationship between empathy deficits and an increased risk of child sexual abuse is not clear-cut. Some researchers indicate that people diagnosed with a pedophilic disorder may actually have higher abilities in empathy and understanding emotions than healthy individuals. It seems that the most likely explanation may be the instrumental use of above-average emotional-intelligence abilities to realize their disturbed
sexual preferences.

Additionally, psychopathy is also often diagnosed among perpetrators who were brutal during sexual activity with a child. Psychopathy is understood as a personality trait associated with treating people as objects. For psychopathic individuals, a relationship with another person is most often merely a means to an end, rather than a value in itself. This subtype of perpetrator may engage in sexual behavior with children that is particularly cruel to them.

It is also worth describing the characteristics of sexual offenders who can be classified as high-functioning perpetrators. In the previously cited research conducted by the team of Prof. Janusz Heitzman, it was found that nearly 10% of perpetrators of sexual offenses against children have higher education. A similar percentage of perpetrators in the criminal cases analyzed had above-average intelligence.

More information is available in the report at: pkdp.gov.pl/nigdy