Prof. Nevzat Tarhan: "Do not let sexuality fall through the floor."

Emphasizing that pedophilia is more common in families where sexuality is not respected, Psychiatrist Prof. Nevzat Tarhan said that "Sexuality must be a concept that is private and experienced within the boundaries of respect. As sexuality becomes more widespread and devalued, people's threshold for sexual arousal decreases. A person who would normally be more difficult to stimulate can be stimulated more easily. That's why pedophilia is becoming widespread."

Sexual abuse and pedophilia have once again come to the fore with the publication of the case files related to businessman Jeffrey Epstein, who was accused of sexual abuse of children in the USA and committed suicide in prison. President of Üsküdar University, Psychiatrist Prof. Nevzat Tarhan evaluated the issue of pedophilia.

Tarhan: "These people may have sexual traumas in childhood."

Noting that pedophilia is a behavioral disorder defined as sexual perversion or paraphilia in the psychiatric literature, Prof. Tarhan stated that "When the 'sexual' mental worlds of children are investigated, most of them have important psychological pathologies, and these people have various traumas. These traumas have a feature that we call 'sexual narcissism'. It arises with the desire to be with people who are helpless and weaker than themselves. There is a tendency in these people to want to be with children who are weaker than them because they see their own egos as superior and strong. In their desire to be with the opposite sex, they cannot achieve the same satisfaction. As a result of this lack of satisfaction, they try to come together with vulnerable children in exchange for various benefits or fees. These people may have had sexual trauma in childhood."

Tarhan: "In pedophilia, children can be the 'object of sexual affection."

Explaining that these people are afraid and avoid being with the opposite sex, Prof. Tarhan continued his remarks as follows:

"In this case, it can occur in some people towards children and in some people towards animals. In pedophilia, children can be the 'object of sexual affection'. In people with pedophilia, it is possible that the object of sexual affection arises as a result of bad examples and bad learning. If someone in the family has it or if this is considered normal in the subculture they have created, this situation may continue. In fact, a party is currently being formed in the Netherlands about this. They are beginning to see this situation, even incest, as an area of freedom. However, this condition is considered pathological sexuality in the psychiatric literature."

Tarhan: "As sexuality becomes widespread and devalued, people's threshold of sexual arousal decreases."

Emphasizing that sexual freedom should not be perceived as sexual irresponsibility, Prof. Tarhan said that "We encounter pedophilia more frequently in families where sexuality is not respected. Sexuality should be a concept that is private, intimate, and lived within the boundaries of respect. As sexuality becomes more widespread and devalued, people's threshold for sexual arousal decreases. A person who would normally be more difficult to stimulate can be stimulated more easily. That's why pedophilia is becoming widespread.”

Giving a message to the society, Prof. Tarhan said, "Do not let sexuality fall through the floor."

How should the treatment protocol be?

Drawing attention to the treatment of children who have been sexually abused, Prof. Tarhan concluded his remarks as follows:

"First of all, all the records of abused children must be taken. There are Child Monitoring Centers in Türkiye. Here, records are taken because making the child re-tell the even causes secondary and tertiary traumas in the child. When we examine many diseases that occur in later ages, we see that, and we apply the Childhood Trauma Scale.

One of the items on the scale here is the sexual abuse item. It is considered abuse and can be the cause of future diseases if there are items such as 'He showed me his genitals' or 'He touched my private part' in the sexual abuse article. These issues need to be discussed during therapy. Sexuality is private, and promiscuity is against human nature. We see that the children of families who have promiscuity at home are afraid of normal sex and experience this need in the form of pedophilia."

Üsküdar News Agency (ÜNA)