Psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, emphasizing that pedophilia is more common in families where sexuality is not respected, said, “Sexuality should be a concept experienced within private, intimate, and respectful boundaries. As sexuality becomes widespread and devalued, people's sexual arousal threshold decreases. A person who would normally be more difficult to arouse can be aroused more easily. For this reason, pedophilia is becoming more prevalent.”
With the publication of court documents linked to businessman Jeffrey Epstein, who was accused of sexually abusing children in the US and committed suicide in prison, sexual abuse and pedophilia have once again come to the fore. Üsküdar Üniversitesi Founding Rector, Psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, evaluated the issue of pedophilia.
Tarhan: “These individuals may have experienced sexual traumas in childhood.”
Noting that pedophilia is defined as a behavioral disorder, sexual perversion, or paraphilia in psychiatric literature, Prof. Dr. Tarhan said, “When the psychic worlds of those with 'sexual affection' for children are examined, most of them have significant psychological pathologies and various traumas. These traumas have a characteristic we call ‘sexual narcissism.’ It manifests as a desire to be with individuals weaker and more powerless than oneself. Because they perceive their own egos as superior and powerful, an inclination arises in these individuals to want to be with weaker children. They cannot achieve the same satisfaction in their desires to be with the opposite sex. As a result of this inability to achieve satisfaction, they try to associate with vulnerable children in various benefits or payments. These individuals may have experienced sexual traumas in childhood.”
Tarhan: “In pedophiles, the 'sexual object of affection' can be children.”
Prof. Dr. Tarhan, also explaining that these individuals fear and avoid being with the opposite sex, continued:
“In this situation, it can manifest in some individuals towards children, and in others towards animals. In pedophiles, the 'sexual object of affection' can be children. It is possible for the sexual object of affection in pedophilic individuals to emerge as a result of bad examples and poor learning. If it exists in a family member or is considered normal in the subculture they form, this situation can continue. In fact, a party related to this is currently being formed in the Netherlands. They are beginning to view this situation, and even incest, as an area of freedom. However, in psychiatric literature, this situation is considered pathological sexuality.”
Tarhan: “As sexuality becomes widespread and devalued, people's sexual arousal threshold decreases.”
Prof. Dr. Tarhan emphasized that sexual freedom should not be perceived as sexual irresponsibility, stating, “We encounter pedophilia more frequently in families where sexuality is not respected. Sexuality should be a concept experienced within private, intimate, and respectful boundaries. As sexuality becomes widespread and devalued, people's sexual arousal threshold decreases. A person who would normally be more difficult to arouse can be aroused more easily. For this reason, pedophilia is becoming more prevalent.”
Prof. Dr. Tarhan also gave a message to society, saying, “Don't debase sexuality.”
What should the treatment protocol be?
Prof. Dr. Tarhan, drawing attention to the treatment of sexually abused children, concluded his remarks as follows:
“First of all, all records of abused children must be taken. There are Child Monitoring Centers in Turkey. Records are taken here because making the child recount the event again leads to secondary and tertiary traumas. When we examine many diseases that emerge in later ages, we see this; we apply the childhood trauma scale.
One of the items on this scale is the sexual abuse item. In the sexual abuse item; if there are items such as 'He showed me his sexual organ,' 'He touched my private parts,' it is considered abuse and can be the cause of future illnesses. These issues need to be discussed during therapy; sexuality is a private area, and random sexuality is contrary to human nature. In children from families where random sexuality is present at home, we observe a situation where they fear normal sexuality and experience this need as pedophilia.”