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Shimizu, Aiko R.

IV AB ISD

A Phenomenological Look on Pedophilia I rarely watch the news, but when I do, it is mostly because something has captured my attention. Once it was a report about a girl being gang raped by four old men. As I watched the news report on the television, a look of disdain has befallen my face. Truly it was disconcerting to know that such an atrocity could happen and to an innocent young girl at that. It is no wonder that such an occurrence could bother anyone. But this is not the lone incident in the Philippines. According to the National Statistical Coordination Board, as of 2012 1,378 Filipino children have been sexually abused and 11 of them are boys (NSCB, 2012). Even though there is virtually no existing statistic on the number of pedophiles in the Philippines, the numbers indicated above already show that the phenomenon does occur in this country and the number of cases is relatively big. Molesting a child is a crime in the Philippines and I guess most countries in the world would have the same case. The natural attitude of common people toward pedophilia is it is disgusting, revolting and atrocious. It is rightfully a crime and pedophiles must be punished at all costs for they are inhumane, insane and just downright evil. But is this just all they are? Is this what pedophilia truly is? If pedophilia would be reduced to its core or essence we have to find out what are the things that cant be changed or else it would stop being what it is. In pedophilia there is the person who experiences it which we can call the pedophile. That pedophile will feel a sexual desire for another person which is a child. Now if the sex of the person who felt the sexual desire toward the child was changed, could it still be considered as pedophilia? Yes, it still could. Now if the sex of the child was changed, could it still be called pedophilia? Yes, it still could. It is

Shimizu, Aiko R.

IV AB ISD

therefore established that pedophilia can be experienced by a male or a female toward a male child or a female child. Now if the age of the pedophile was changed, making the pedophile a child as well, could that still be called pedophilia? I guess not. Now, what if the age of the child was changed making the target of the pedophile an adult lets say about the age of 18-19 would the desire to have a sexual relationship with that person remain to be called pedophilia? I guess not as well. Now what if the child is not legally an adult? What if the child is around 16 or 17? According to the law that person is still a child. And then what if the supposed offender is around the age of 20 who is having sexual desires toward a person who is 16 or 17? This I guess is where the line blurs for me. According to a study by the Harvard Medical School, for a person to be considered a pedophile, he or she should be 16 years old and at least five years older than the prepubescent child, that is to say, anyone generally younger than 11 (Harvard Medical School, 2010). But in my opinion this definition is too delimiting because for me a child of 13 can still be sexually abused by an adult and that act could still be considered as pedophilia. Someone who is 16 and has a sexual attraction toward a 12 year old might still be considered as a pedophile even if the former is just 4 years older. To be honest, I am not an expert on the topic of pedophilia and I havent spent a long time analyzing its definition and all these technicalities are confusing me. All I know is pedophilia is experienced by an adult having a sexual desire toward a child regardless of both their sexes. The question of when you stop being a child and when you start being an adult is a whole new topic on its own and for that matter would not be discussed in this paper.

Shimizu, Aiko R.

IV AB ISD

Now, if the topic of pedophilia was put under transcendental reduction, I would be obliged to look at pedophilia from my own perspective. If I were to put myself in a pedophiles shoes, what would I feel? What would I experience? The concept of pedophilia bothers me a lot. An attempt to look at the phenomenon from a pedophiles eyes is far more disturbing. To see a child so pure and innocent and desire to touch that child in a manner that is socially unacceptable is difficult for me to imagine. But if I were to try, if I were to make myself believe that I am a pedophile, what would it be like for me? I have this urge, but society tells me its wrong and its a sin. This is far worse than anything I could ever want because no one will ever tell me its alright. No one would tell me that its not my fault, because every single person in the world who is not like me would say Im a monster. To say its a difficult situation is an understatement. To act on my urges would be to commit a crime. I am restricted. I am confined. If I wanted to liberate myself from these restrictions and give in to my needs, then I would be condemned. Worse is if I couldnt forgive myself. But if I surpassed the shame and completely let go of the suppression then in my head this need must be satisfied, society be damned. If I cant take it any longer and if I have to do it, I would have no choice but to succumb to temptations. And so if I saw a child, I would be compelled to do what I have always yearned for. After attempting to be in a pedophiles position, I could say that somehow my perspective on the issue slightly changed. The contempt toward pedophilia is still there. I couldnt deny the wrongness of such an act. But somehow I saw how difficult it is. To want something and not be allowed to get it. A man who wants to have sex with a woman has many ways to satisfy his needs. So is a woman, a gay man, a lesbian etc. But a pedophile cannot in any circumstance get what he wants without committing a felony. To be able to resolve such an issue, one must look on both sides of a phenomenon. We cant easily condemn people without

Shimizu, Aiko R.

IV AB ISD

fully understanding their situation that is not to say that pedophilia is justifiable, its just that there are reasons why people behave in such a way and if we were to try and hear their side maybe preventing the crime would become easier. Even now, pedophilia bothers me. I guess I just cant easily take that away. But now, I sort of have an idea of how it is for them, to see it from a different lens. I myself sometimes have wants and needs that I cant have and I feel frustrated. I want a brand new laptop but I dont have the money to buy one. If I were given a chance to acquire this dream laptop Id immediately grab it. Despite the triviality of my problem, I already felt a sense of frustration from not getting this material thing. What more if what I desire is something of a greater ma gnitude that I cant easily shake off, like the desire to molest a child. Furthermore, if I were to see children every day of my unfortunate life surely one way or another Id become insane or eventually commit the crime. But it all boils down to morality and self-control. If I wanted the laptop too much, I might have ended up stealing money to get one. But I still have the right mind or the conscience not to do so. Even though this urge is not as powerful as that of the urge pedophiles have, it might still fall under the same principle. If you follow a certain code, no matter how difficult it is for you, you have to still keep on doing what you believe is right. Problem is when you dont have a code to follow or you just stop believing in what you used to. Sources: (2013). National Statistical Coordination Board Fact Sheet. Retrieved July 4, 2013 from: http://www.nscb.gov.ph/gender/FS%20on%20WAM%2018mar2013.pdf
(2010). Pessimism About Pedophilia. Harvard Mental Health Letter. Retrieved July 4, 2013 from: http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=77a320b2-9478-4b42-833a7a66699ae191%40sessionmgr104&vid=2&hid=114

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