Pedophilia

Pedophilia (American English), pædophilia/paedophilia (Commonwealth English), or pedosexuality is the paraphilia of being sexually attracted primarily or exclusively to prepubescent children. The ICD-10 (F65.4) defines it as "a sexual preference for children, boys or girls or both, usually of prepubertal or early pubertal age." The word comes from the Greek paidophilia (παιδοφιλια)—pais (?????, "boy, child") and philia (φιλια, "love, friendship").

Related Topics:
American English - Commonwealth English - Paraphilia - Sexually attracted - Children - ICD-10 - Greek

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The term pedophile is often also used to describe any person who has perpetrated sexual crimes against children; this use, however, is seen as erroneous by some individuals, especially when viewed from a medical standpoint, as the majority of sex crimes against children are perpetrated by situational offenders rather than people sexually attracted to prepubertal children.

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In the United States and some other countries, the term is sometimes used to describe people attracted to adolescents, especially in regards to sexual activities. However, most medical definitions of pedophilia limit it to adults with a sexual attraction to prepubescent children. In cultures or countries where love relationships or dates between adults and adolescents are socially or legally accepted (at least with parental consent) or are viewed with tolerance, such as Brazil, the word pedophilia is almost never used in this sense, neither formally or informally.

Related Topics:
United States - Adolescent - Brazil

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In most countries, adolescents above a certain age can be legally emancipated through marriage, economic self-sufficiency, pregnancy or by other means. The marriageable age is generally below the age of majority and in some cases below the legal age of consent. Having sexual relations with emancipated minors is not considered pedophilia.

Related Topics:
Marriageable age - Age of consent

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