Paedophilia refers to sexual attraction towards the very young. Although not a legally recognised offence as such, paedophilia invariably involves the commission of crimes such as sexual assault, indecency and offences relating to child pornography. Paedophilia may be dealt with either by adopting a medical model in which treatment is provided with a view to preventing the occurrence of further undesirable conduct, or by punishing individuals through the use of the courts. Which of these approaches (or combination thereof) is more effective in terms of protecting vulnerable members of the community has been hotly debated in recent times.
There may well be many thousands of children who have been subjected to sexual abuse living in Australia at present, some in the care and control of government authorities, but most living in ordinary households. It is essential for all those with a duty of care for children to take action to discharge that duty be they parents, friends, members of the community or state authorities.
This paper opens the policy debate which must equally involve criminal justice and law enforcement agencies as well as medical and therapeutic personnel.