Stranger Danger

[English_Bob]

Thailand is a bit of a Utopia for paedophiles - lax law enforcement, poverty and an air of laissez faire. It seems to many that Cambodia are doing more to address the issue than Thailand. Finally, offenders can be punished in their own country for crimes committed abroad.

I used to work with an American guy whose tastes ran to the very young - I contacted the FBI and told our employers, but he disappeared before anything could be done. The police attitude was - no complaint has been made (by the teenage boy who shared his room most nights) and the staff of his apartment building stopped talking as soon as the police got involved.

While not a perfect guide, here are a few common traits that people should be looking for...

Profile of a Pedophile

Pedophiles Can Be Anyone:Pedophiles can be anyone -- old or young, rich or poor, educated or uneducated, non-professional or professional, and of any race. However, pedophiles often demonstrate similar characteristics, but these are merely indicators and it should not be assumed that individuals with these characteristics are pedophiles. But knowledge of these characteristics coupled with questionable behavior can be used as an alert that someone may be a pedophile.

Characteristics of a Pedophile :

• Often the pedophile is male and over 30 years of age.
  
• Single or with few friends in his age group.
  
• If married, the relationship is more "companion" based with no sexual relations.
  
• He is often vague about time gaps in employment which may indicate a loss in employment for questionable reasons or possible past incarceration.
  

Pedophiles Like Child-like Activities:

• He is often fascinated with children and child activities appearing to prefer those activities to adult oriented activities.
  
• He will often refer to children in pure or angelic terms using descriptives like innocent, heavenly, divine, pure, and other words that describe children but seem inappropriate and exaggerated.
  
• He has hobbies that are child-like such as collecting popular expensive toys, keeping reptiles or exotic pets, or building plane and car models.
  

Pedophiles Often Prefer Children Close to Puberty:

• Pedophiles often have a specific age of child they target. Some prefer younger children, some older.
  
• Often his environment or a special room will be decorated in child-like decor and will appeal to the age and sex of the child he is trying to entice.
  
• Many pedophiles often prefer children close to puberty who are sexually inexperienced, but curious about sex.
  

Pedophiles Work Around Children:

The pedophile will often be employed in a position that involves daily contact with children. If not employed, he will put himself in a position to do volunteer work with children, often in a supervisory capacity such as sports coaching, contact sport instruction, unsupervised tutoring or a position where he has the opportunity to spend unsupervised time with a child.

The Target Child:

The pedophile often seeks out shy, handicapped, and withdrawn children, or those who come from troubled homes or under privileged homes. He then showers them with attention, gifts, taunting them with trips to desirable places like amusement parks, zoo's, concerts, the beach and other such places.

Manipulation of the Innocent:

Pedophiles work to master their manipulative skills and often unleash them on troubled children by first becoming their friend, building the the child's self esteem. They may refer to the child as special or mature, appealing to their need to be heard and understood then entice them with adult type activities that are often sexual in content such as x-rated movies or pictures. They offer them alcohol or drugs to hamper their ability to resist activities or recall events that occurred.

Just a quick search on Google will pull up hundreds of stories like the following...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2007/oct/16/internationalcrime.thailand

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2006/08/22/opinion/opinion_30011609.php

http://www.pattayadailynews.com/en/2010/06/24/us-court-indicts-paedophile-imprisoned-in-thailand/

In all these cases, the paedophiles came to Thailand to abuse young children. And in almost every single case, they took teaching jobs to get close to their victims.

It's well known that paedophiles often choose work that brings them into close contact with children - priests, scout-leaders, teachers. One has to ask the question, what percentage of men working as teachers in Thailand are paedophiles? What would bring someone to a very poorly paid job that commands almost no-respect amongst peers? Aren't there a myriad of other jobs that offer more?

One might also ask, what can the Ministry of Education do to address the issue?

Are there sufficient checks on teachers' backgrounds?

What can be done to curb the numbers of paedophiles entering the country and abusing vulnerable Thai children especially in rural areas?

Where is the line between civil liberties and genuine caution? Is it OK to check someone's computer for incriminating pictures, movies or websites visited?

Surely a basic criminal record search in the teacher's home country would be prudent?

[isaanaj]

Ah OK, thanks for the GG info. So no high profile cases in Thailand? Just a general reputation for seediness?

I think you've hit it dead on with the mai pen rai attitude, and obviously every decent teacher must support any checks which improve safety of students and the respectability of the profession. I must admit I'm a bit wary of how the CRB check works in the UK, I've taught at (state and private) schools in the UK with a CRB clearance which is either out of date or for a different county, and schools have just waved it through because it's expensive and time consuming (and maybe I benefit from profiling).

They do, always, however take references. I know for a fact that my Thai employer didn't contact any of the referees I listed - surely that's one of the most simple (and free) checks you can do. A creaking bureaucracy like we have in the UK just wouldn't fly here when you can't even be bothered to send an email. Raising awareness and interest in solving the issue is, I think, the only viable solution. If you have a system like that it would fetishise the documentation. Let's not forget how easy it is to get fake degrees here, or even pay 1000 baht to get a real driving licence. The paper only proves you haven't been caught, and only to the date it was issued - far better to put the onus of protection on the employer to chase references and verify CVs than to rely on whether the computer says yes or no.

I will concede though... a "large group of tragic losers" was probably a bit harsh. Will you grant "down on their luck drunkards" as representative of maybe 15-20%?

[Stramash]

I must admit I'm a bit wary of how the CRB check works in the UK, I've taught at (state and private) schools in the UK with a CRB clearance which is either out of date or for a different county,

Can I ask when that was? Because certainly now you would not even get a start until an up to date enhanced disclosure was done. A CRB is only a look at offences not considered 'spent' under the rehabilitation of offenders act. An enhanced disclosure shows ALL convictions throughout your lifetime. No one working with any vulnerable group is able to start a job without one. And can I also question the 'CRB from another country' comment? I find this unlikely.

[Barbell]

I think all guys have noticed an attractive teenaged girl. That doesn't make you a paedophile.

Being attracted to young girls - even those not of legal age - is not a crime. Acting upon those urges is a crime - be it collecting porn or abusing children.

This is pedophilie too. And do not try to justify their failure to remove the brains from the eggs and the penis so that the girl was attractive. Must be a minimum age, for example 18 years.

[Stramash]

Strictly speaking paedophilia is defined as a sexual attraction to children who are prepubescent or pubertal.

On the other hand, paedophilia does not actually have to include any sexual contact so the definition would include urges and/or fantasies even if not acted upon.

The term has (mistakenly) widened to become an all encompassing one for anyone who has sexual contact with a person under the legal age of consent (where the 'perpetrator is around the same age then a 5 year age difference is the criteria) which varies from country to country.

However, merely commenting on someone's attractiveness does not make them a paedophile. You could comment on a adolescent girl as being 'beautiful'. That is an aesthetic comment. It is the inclusion of any sexual thought or aspect that takes us into the realms of paedophilia.

[Stramash]

Being attracted to young girls - even those not of legal age - is not a crime.

While not a crime per se, from a diagnostic perspective you would be classed as being a paedophile.

[falangboy]

Let me say this first, I am in no way attracted to young girls (or boys). My tasts actually tends towards older women (as the admin can atest to after meeting my gf recently). However, this country has some cultural history that seems to allow for this type of history. A friend of mine recently visited an extremely 'out of the way' village for charity work. Being I guy, I asked him if he saw any cute girls there (as I assume most of us would have asked... most men that is). His response was that, most of the girls were married by the time they were 16. It was simply natural for a man to take a young woman for his wife.

I'm not saying this is right or wrong. All I am saying is that this country attracts that type of visitor because it really isn't frowned upon. How many of you who live here (and Thais included) have read news stories about older men being arrested for having sex with very young boys or girls? You don't. You only hear about the foreigners because their home country puts pressure on the Thai gov't to crack down. You usually only read about it when its a monk who is claiming some special power if the young girl (or in rare cases boy) has sex with him.

Everyone who has lived here for any considerable length of time knows that there are far more Thais engaging in sex with prostitutes and (what westerners would consider) underage girls and boys than foreigners. The country attracts that sort of person simply because it accepts that behavior.

[Barbell]

It is one thing - to say "beautiful", and another thing - "attractive. " Can be called beautiful, and the child, and man (handsome). It was about the alleged sexual attractiveness.

[isaanaj]

Can I ask when that was? Because certainly now you would not even get a start until an up to date enhanced disclosure was done. A CRB is only a look at offences not considered 'spent' under the rehabilitation of offenders act. An enhanced disclosure shows ALL convictions throughout your lifetime. No one working with any vulnerable group is able to start a job without one. And can I also question the 'CRB from another country' comment? I find this unlikely.

September last year - one in London, one in Yorkshire. I actually pushed for a CRB because I knew it would be useful for travelling, but it was an uphill battle to try get myself checked, even offering to pay the charge (you can't apply directly, for example). One school (at a top university) just asked me to sign a statement saying I had no convictions, and that was it. Laws often don't translate into practice, even in the land of hope and glory.

[English_Bob]

This is pedophilie too. And do not try to justify their failure to remove the brains from the eggs and the penis so that the girl was attractive. Must be a minimum age, for example 18 years.

Which minimum age?

USA? Thai? Russian? Dutch?

If a Dutch guy finds a 16 year old girl attractive, does that make him a paedophile in Russia?

(BTW "Remove the brains from the eggs?" Russian guys have eggs? In UK it's only the girls. Unless it's Russian Olympians you're talking about and that's a whole other story.)

[Barbell]

eggs = balls. Understand? Minimum age - I think, if girl is student. 16-18-20 - maybe not important, but not younger that 16. But personally for me 16 is early too.

[English_Bob]

eggs = balls. Understand? Minimum age - I think, if girl is student. 16-18-20 - maybe not important, but not younger that 16. But personally for me 16 is early too.

Yeah... I understand. You understand that eggs are not the same as balls, right?

The age of the girl/boy is difficult to make a definitive decision over.

A girl who is 15 and 11 months having sex with a 16 year old boy? I don't think I'd consider him a paedophile. But by law he is guilty of statutory rape (in UK).

A 17 year old boy being penetrated by a 65 year old man? How legal is that?

Just musing now... I have no point to make (except that it's difficult to make judgements).

[Stramash]

September last year - one in London, one in Yorkshire. I actually pushed for a CRB because I knew it would be useful for travelling, but it was an uphill battle to try get myself checked, even offering to pay the charge (you can't apply directly, for example). One school (at a top university) just asked me to sign a statement saying I had no convictions, and that was it. Laws often don't translate into practice, even in the land of hope and glory.

Am a bit confused - a school at a top university? Can you expand on this. The only way you would get past a CRB/enhanced disclosure is if it was a private school and a bit lax. If a state school (and therefore run by a local authority) then no chance at all.

[Stramash]

Yeah... I understand. You understand that eggs are not the same as balls, right?

The age of the girl/boy is difficult to make a definitive decision over.

A girl who is 15 and 11 months having sex with a 16 year old boy? I don't think I'd consider him a paedophile. But by law he is guilty of statutory rape (in UK).

Would be unlikely to see a prosecution though Dave. Here is an excerpt of the CPS guidance;

"The public interest requires the prosecution of an offence of unlawful sexual intercourse with a girl under 13 unless exceptional circumstances exist.

You may exercise considerable discretion in relation to offences under section 6 of the Act.

The age of the defendant will be highly relevant. Even if the defendant is over 24, a prosecution may not be in the public interest if he had reasonable cause for believing that the girl was over 16.

The following factors will also be relevant:

* the relevant ages of the parties;

* the emotional maturity of the girl and whether she entered into a sexual relationship willingly;

* the relationship between the parties and whether there was an existence of a duty of care or breach of trust (refer to the section on Abuse of Trust in Sexual Offences Act 2003, elsewhere in Legal Guidance).

In summary, a man who is considerably older that the girl is likely to be prosecuted, especially if he owed her a duty of care; whereas it may not be necessary to prosecute a young man with whom the girl has been having a consensual relationship."