PAEDO or NOT A PAEDO (that is the question)?

As a medical diagnosis, pedophilia (or paedophilia) is typically defined as a psychiatric disorder in adults or late adolescents (persons age 16 or older) characterised by a primary or exclusive sexual interest in prepubescent children (generally age 13 years or younger, though onset of puberty may vary).

The child must be at least five years younger in the case of adolescent pedophiles aged 16 or older.

The word Pedo (Paedo) comes from the Greek: meaning "child," and (philía), "friendly love" or "friendship," though this literal meaning has been altered toward sexual attraction in modern times, under the titles "child love" or "child lover," by paedophiles, who use symbols and codes to identify their preferences.

The International Classification of Diseases (ICD) defines pedophilia as a "disorder of adult personality and behaviour" in which there is a sexual preference for children of prepubertal or early pubertal age.

The term has a range of definitions as found in psychiatry, psychology, the vernacular, and the criminal justice system and it is widely misused in the media to describe all sex-offenders!

There are adults (sex-offenders) who do not have a clear preference for sex with children but nevertheless commit offences. There is a much higher rate of success in treating this type of sex-offender than the paedophile as described above!