Attraction to Minors: All you need to know

We live in times where what is crucial to be decided upon by the criminal justice system, is rarely given an opportunity to converse about and conduct research, as opposed to reacting in a way society is conditioned to react. Yes, I am talking about the most controversial topic today—people's romantic, social and/or sexual attraction to children. This is a subject under great scrutiny, with legal systems not able to protect anyone from the rise in criminal cases over the years.

Now, while I delve into the subject, I urge the reader to recognize the differences in tonality. I will try my level best to refrain from making judgements based on forensic evidence. However, it is my duty as a researcher and a Mental Health specialist, to delve further into the behaviors before any actions being taken, to better assess how we as practitioners, can perhaps keep all individuals involved in this matter, safe.

What we know thus far, is very limited. We do not know how many people across the world are emotionally and sexually attracted to children and adolescents. Researchers however state that all adults have some degree of these feelings, even though they exist as secondary to the intensity of feelings we may feel for other adults (Blanchard et al., 2012; Fedora et al., 1992; Freund, 1981; Freund & Costell, 1970; Hall et al., 1995; Quinsey et al., 1975; Briere & Runtz, 1989; Smiljanich & Briere, 1996; Becker-Blease et al., 2006).

Statistics

It is estimated that 1 in 5 men experience an attraction ranging from pedophilia to hebephilia (Goode, 2010, pp. 19-20; Blanchard, 2012). Further, about 0.5 - 5% of all men have a preferential attraction to minors (Abel & Harlow, 2001; Farella, 2002; Feierman, 1990; West, 1998).

In fact, only 5% of the sexual offenders are listed within the criminal justice system. Only 2% on public registries in the US. Across the world, there exist questionable data. All crime stats are focused on the number of convictions and not the overall population. That being said, in the US, 11% men reported engaging in online CSA. The only other countries I could find any data on is Australia, where 9.4% men have reported CSA perpetration, 7.5% men reported engaging in online CSA and15% reported minor attraction (UNSW Human Rights, 2023; Childlight, 2024), and in UK, 7% men have reported engaging in online CSA (Childlight, 2024).

Minor attraction in women is an understudied topic resulting in a lower prevalence of this attraction within this demographic. Maybe, the numbers are underrepresented as women have more access to infants and toddlers, who cannot report. Some studies estimate that (14-29%) of boys and (6-14%) of girls were CSA victims, perpetrated by women. Also, most women tend to be accomplices to men like Ghislaine Maxwell.

But then again, most of the data one would find online is of the number cases and number of victims as opposed to data on the number of perpetrators. To also note here, is that most of these statistics include perpetration done within the country and not perpetration done by travelers in other countries. In efforts to track Transnational Child Sexual Abuse (TSC), a study done by Netherlands showed that roughly 20,000 men travel internationally to Asian and African countries to perpetrate CSA annually. Overall, 156,000 men have been found guilty of CSA abroad of which 105,000 did so in the last 5 years alone (Koning, et.al., 2025).

In April 2025, in a 5-week operation, the Singapore Police Force (SPF), collaborated with Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF), Japan National Police Agency (JNPA), Korean National Police Agency (KNPA), Royal Malaysia Police (RMP) and Royal Thai Police (RTP) to jointly arrest 435 persons in a cross-border operation targeting online child sexual exploitation activities between 24 February 2025 and 28 March 2025. These arrested plus the additional 109 individuals that were assisting with investigations, brings the total number of targets to 525 individuals (506 men and 19 women), aged between 13 and 68.

Terminologies

Given the statistics in hand, it is important to note that not all CSA perpetrators have Minor Attraction. That being said not all Minor Attracted Persons commit CSA. This is where nuance comes into handy.

Some adults have a preferential attraction to underaged people. This preferential attraction exists on a spectrum, from Nepiophilia (infants & toddlers) to Pedophilia (prepubescent children) to Hebephilia (pubescent children to adolescents) to Ebephilia (late adolescents).

Mechanisms behind the attraction are speculative at the best. While Teleiophilia (attraction to adults) takes on the role of being the standard, Hebephilia (attraction to adolescents) is not that uncommon. Pedophilia (attraction to prepubescent children) and Nepiophilia (attraction to infants and toddlers) get even rarer (Seto, 2016).

That being said, around 50% of people who commit child sexual offences do not have a primary or sustained attraction to children.

Before I delve deeper into this topic, let me be very clear: I am absolutely NOT pro-child sexual abuse (CSA). Not only are clinicians extremely uncomfortable providing care but are also very hesitant to converse around this topic. Academia too has its wall erected, preventing any rational conversations— and this can be seen with examples of Professors being fired from Academia for delving into this topic— namely, Dr. Allyn Walker (Old Dominion University) and Stephen Kirschnar (SUNY Freedonia).

So my question is how do we rationally address the attraction without the need for societal stigma around this topic?

It starts by looking into the terminologies we use today. For which we need to understand that Attraction ≠ Action. One must also come to terms with the fact that one cannot change one's attractions. If the said attraction is vilified, then there cannot be any scope of informed and non-judgmental intervention, which I believe is far better than silence or no conversation at all.

Psychiatric Terminologies

While I don't like the DSM for not being able to capture nuances, I would however, like to quote it to understand the "disorder" from a Psychiatric point of view. Now, according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), the Diagnostic Criteria for pedophilia include:

1. Over a period of at least 6 months, recurrent, intense sexual arousing fantasies, sexual urges or behaviors involving sexual activity with a prepubescent child or children (aged 13 years or younger)

2. The individual has acted on these sexual urges or the sexual urges or fantasies cause marked distress or interpersonal difficulty

3. The individual is at least 16 years and at least 5 years older than the child or children in the first category. Note: Do not include an individual in late adolescence involved in an ongoing sexual relationship with a 12 or 13 year old.

Specify whether:

Exclusive Type (attracted to only children)

Non-Exclusive Type

Specify if:

Sexually attracted to males

Sexually attracted to females

Sexually attracted to both

Specify if:

Limited to incest

If individuals also complain that their sexual attractions or preferences for children are causing marked distress or psychosocial difficulties, they may be diagnosed with pedophilic disorder (American Psychiatric Association, 2022).

However, if they report an absence of feelings of guilt, shame, or anxiety about these impulses and are not functionally limited by their paraphilic impulses, and their self-reported and legally recorded histories indicate that they have never acted on their impulses, then these individuals have a pedophilic sexual interest but not a pedophilic disorder (American Psychiatric Association, 2022).

The Limitations of the DSM-5, include that it doesn't address the following:

• Doesn't address Adolescent Attraction

• Doesn't differentiate in detail about attraction vs action

• Doesn't address people who are not clinically impaired

• Even the subtypes are pretty vague

Legal Terminologies

From a legal perspective, here are some terms you may have come across:

• Child Sexual Abuser: someone who has engaged with a child sexually regardless of assent (assent refers "to not being competent to make a decision to participate in an activity but are willing to go along". Its antonym would be consent which means "all parties are competent to make an informed decision to participate in an activity"). From a legal framework, children can only assent to activities while adults can consent to activities.

• Child Molester: someone who sexually abuses a child

• Child Sexual Offender: someone who molests a child, is caught and convicted of a child sexual offense

• Minor Attracted Person: someone who has a persistent and strong sexual attraction to under-age pre-adults. They may never act upon their attractions.

Since these are legal terminologies, often under immense social stigma and scrutiny, for the therapists who wish to treat mental health problems that MAPs come to you with, I suggest using terminologies like "Individual with a history of Sexual Offense".

Even our legal system fails to capture nuances when defining these group of individuals.

For example, with MAPs, the Legal System only defines them within the constructs of having "a persistent and strong sexual attraction to under-age pre-adults". We do know from researchers and psychotherapists that MAPS experience a spectrum of attractions, from romantic to sexual. One thing that the legal system has started to recognize is that many of these individuals may never act upon their attractions.

Not all sex offenders are MAPs and not all MAPs are abuse children.

When we look into the literature, yes there is a lot more of forensic documents than community based. Here is how we can differentiate between:

• Forensic Literature that documented behaviors of individuals acting upon their attractions, have been convicted and in the criminal justice system; and

• Community-based Literature that include people who may or may not have acted upon their attractions, and who are not in the criminal justice system.

Note that when I talk about Forensic Literature, terminologies I employ will be the Legal Terminologies. However, when I shift to Community-based Literature, you will observe the shift in the language I employ.

Forensic Literature

There are a lot more recorded documents within the Forensic body. To begin, let's go back to the FBI's classification of Child Molesters (Lanning, 1986).

Situational Child Molesters:

• Regressed (Low self-esteem)

• Morally Indiscriminate (psychopathic)

• Sexually Indiscriminate (Sexually Compulsive/Paraphilic)

• Inadequate (Socially Impaired)

Preferential Child Molesters:

• Fewer but generally more victims

• Seduction (Grooming)

• Introverted (Lacking social skills of seduction, Fewer touch offenses)

• Sadistic (Uncommon)

When we look into the causes of Attraction and/or Action, some researchers suggest that a History of Childhood Sexual Abuse aka the Abused Abuser Theory (Bagley et.al, 1994; Cohen & Galynker, 2012; Grady & Levenson, 2020). Men with a history of CSA were 40 times more likely to report sex with children under 13 (that is 7.7% compared to 0.2% in the case of men with no history). Child Sexual Offenders with a history were also found 3.3 times more likely to report advances when compared with opiate addicted subjects.

However when we come to non-offending MAPs, only 17% reported CSA history. In fact, with non-offending minor attracted men, reported abuse in their childhood involved, Verbal Abuse (76%), Sexual Abuse (17%), Physical Abuse (50%), Emotional Neglect (55%) and Bullying by Peers or Siblings (79%) (Grady & Levenson, 2020).

Among 47 minor attracted women, reported abuse in their childhood involved, Sexual Abuse (50%), Domestic Violence at Home (23%), Substance Abuse in the home (40%), Mental illness at home (21%), Incarceration of Family member (17%), Emotional Neglect (40%), Verbal Abuse (38%), Physical Abuse (34%) and Physical Neglect (11%) (Willis & Levenson, 2016).

Neuroscience Literature

---

References

1. Abel, G. & Harlow, N. (2001). The Stop Child Molestation Book. Xlibris.

2. American Psychiatric Association. (2022). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed., text rev.), p. 737. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association.

3. Bagley, C., Wood, M., & Young, L. (1994). Victim to abuser: mental health and behavioral sequels of child sexual abuse in a community survey of young adult males. Child abuse & neglect, 18(8), 683–697. https://doi.org/10.1016/0145-2134(94)90018-3

4. Becker-Blease, K. A., & Freyd, J. J. (2006). Research participants telling the truth about their lives: the ethics of asking and not asking about abuse. The American psychologist, 61(3), 218–226. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.61.3.218

5. Blanchard, R., Kuban, M.E., Blak, T., Klassen, P.E., Dickey, R., & Cantor, J.M. (2012). Sexual Attraction to Others: A Comparison of Two Models of Alloerotic Responding in Men. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 41, 13-29.

6. Briere, J., & Runtz, M. (1989). University males' sexual interest in children: Predicting potential indices of "pedophilia" in a nonforensic sample. Child Abuse & Neglect, 13(1), 65–75. https://doi.org/10.1016/0145-2134(89)90030-6

7. Childlight. (2024). Into the light: Global index of child sexual exploitation and abuse prevalence [PDF]. University of Edinburgh.

8. Cohen, L. J., & Galynker, I. (2012). Identifying psychological traits potentially subserving aberrant motivation or inhibitory failure in pedophilic behavior. The Israel journal of psychiatry and related sciences, 49(4), 280–290.

9. Dilliën, T., Goethals, K., Sabbe, B., & Brazil, I. A. (2020). The neuropsychology of child sexual offending: a systematic review. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 54, 101406. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.avb.2020.101406 Farella, C. (2002). The unthinkable problem of pedophilia. Nursing Spectrum. July 1, 2002. Retrieved from http://community.nursingspectrum.com/MagazineArticles/article.cfm?AID=7084. Fedora, O., Reddon, J. R., Morrison, J. W., Fedora, S., Pascoe, H., & Yeudall, L. T. (1992). Sadism and other paraphilias in normal controls and aggressive and nonaggressive sex offenders. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 21(1), 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1007/bf01542713

10. Feierman, J. (1990). Pedophilia: Biosocial Dimensions. New York: Springer-Verlag.

11. Freund, K., & Costell, R. (1970). The structure of erotic preference in the nondeviant male. Behaviour research and therapy, 8(1), 15–20. https://doi.org/10.1016/0005-7967(70)90029-x

12. Freund, K., Scher, H., Chan, S., & Ben-Aron, M. H. (1982). Experimental analysis of pedophilia. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 20(2), 105-112. https://doi.org/10.1016/0005-7967(82)90110-3

13. Goode, S. (2010). Understanding and Addressing Adult Sexual Attraction to Children: A study of paedophiles in contemporary society. Oxford, UK: Routledge.

14. Grady, M. D., & Levenson, J. S. (2021). Prevalence rates of adverse childhood experiences in a sample of minor-attracted persons: A comparison study. Traumatology, 27(2), 227–235. https://doi.org/10.1037/trm0000273

15. Hall, G. C. N., Hirschman, R., & Oliver, L. L. (1995). Sexual arousal and arousability to pedophilic stimuli in a community sample of normal men. Behavior Therapy, 26(4), 681–694. Joyal, C.C., Cossette, A., & Lapierre, V. (2015). What Exactly Is an Unusual Sexual Fantasy? The Journal of Sexual Medicine, 12(2), 328-340.

16. Koning, A., Blokland, A., Cooper, P., & Van den Berg, C. (2025). Risk assessment of perpetrators of transnational child sexual abuse. Amsterdam: NSCR Lanning, K. V. (2010). Child molesters: A behavioral analysis: For professionals investigating the sexual exploitation of children (5th ed.). National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.

17. Pedersen, M.R. (2017). The Politics of being a Pedophile: An anthropological exploration of political engagements and narratives among minor attracted people (Master’s thesis). Aarhus University, Aarhus, DK.

18. Quinsey, V. L., Chaplin, T. C., & Carrigan, W. F. (1979). Sexual preferences among incestuous and nonincestuous child molesters. Behavior Therapy, 10(4), 562-565. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0005-7894(79)80057-x

19. Seto, M.C. (2016). The Puzzle of Male Chronophilias. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 46, 3-22. doi: 10.1007/s10508-016-0799-y.

20. Smiljanich, K. & Briere, J. (1996). Self-reported sexual interest in children: Sex differences and psychosocial correlates in a university sample. Violence & Victims, 11(1), 39-50.

21. UNSW Human Rights. (2023, November 20). One in 10 Australian men report having sexual interactions with under‑18s, study finds [Press release]. UNSW Sydney.

22. West, D. J. (1998). Boys and sexual abuse: An English opinion. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 27, 539-559.

23. Willis, G. M., & Levenson, J. S. (2016). The relationship between childhood adversity and adult psychosocial outcomes in females who have sexually offended: implications for treatment. Journal of Sexual Aggression, 22(3), 355–367. https://doi.org/10.1080/13552600.2015.1131341