Robert, there are two things I'd like to take up from your post.

First, molesters being the lowest of the low. This is too easy, I think. Watch the film The Woodsman with Kevin Bacon (it's out on DVD). It is an exquisite and compassionate exploration of what it is to be a peadophile. Not an excuse, not a minimisation of the heinous nature of the crime -rather the opposite, in fact - but an unflinching acceptance that peadophiles are human too and have their story and their tragedy. Nabokov and Barbara would like it, I think. The child in The Woodsman (who he does not molest) is unequivocally 12 and a pure unadulterated victim.

Second, the statistics on the number of girls who are molested. I once belonged to a book club, it was full of successful, intelligent, educated women in their 30s all but one married with kids. We did Helen Garner's "The first stone" about sexual harrassment and during the discussion it came out that all of us, that is all 15 of us, without exception had been molested at some point in our lives, mostly as young adult females, not children, but nevertheless it was a 100% experience. Mine was in a doctor's surgery, by the doctor! Most were not "serious" but all horribly upsetting. This has always stayed with me, leaving me with at least the suspicion that molestation is much more common than we realise.

Pedant, aren't you perhaps being just a bit of an aptonym? The age of Judy's boyfriend wasn't specified. Would it be appropriate or just to slap the label of sex offender on him, and bar him from working with children no matter what the circumstances of the act? If, say, he had sex with Judy when she was a couple of weeks off 16, and he was 16 and a half?

We acknowledge the age of consent is a purely arbitrary line, and many of us think kids around that age don't fully understand the implications of what they're consenting to, even when they are legally able to give consent. I agree wholeheartedly, they don't. But we must then logically conclude others of a similar age don't fully understand the full implications of what they're instigating.

To Pedant. You are seriously suggesting that an 18 year old man who bonks a willing girl 30 minutes before she turns 16 shpuld be called a "Paedophile" and be jailed for 15 years?

Yeah, sure he should.

Your name certanly suits you. But perhaps it should be changed to "Draco" after the famous Greek philosopher who opined that any crime at all, no matter how minor, must be punished by death.

1.

Anomie, I understand what you are saying. I presume because in this post we are talking about pedophilia – which is in a broad sense the attraction of adults to children although there are various different nomenclatures that Judy’s first sexual partner was someone rather older than her. But that is why we have judicial discretion in sentencing – if Judy’s first sexual partner was 16 and a half when she was “15 years, 11 months, 6 days and 23 and a half hours old” he would be unlikely to even have a conviction recorded.

I didn’t know the definition of aptonym (although I suspected it had something to do with my posting alias “Pedant”) so for the benefit of anyone else who doesn’t know, an aptonym (also aptronym) is the term used for "people whose names and occupations or situations (e.g., workplace) have a close correspondence." The name "aptonym" is a compound word, which consists of the adjective "apt" (from Latin via Middle English) meaning "exactly suitable, or appropriate". The second part of this word comes from the Greek "onuma" ('name'). A friend who is a radiographer worked with a Dr Death and Dr Slaughter, who went to medical school with a Dr Butcher….

http://homepage.mac.com/chapmandave/aptonyms/index2.html
http://humor.about.com/od/reallife/p/ds092104.htm

Technically, (pedantically even if you like!), “Pedant” isn’t my legal surname (which is “O’Meara”) so not really an aptonym…. sounds like a great term to throw into conversation though – when people ask me what I would like to do as a career if I wasn’t in the one I am in now I generally say “a philanthropist” maybe I should change my posting alias to that ;-)

R0bert regarding the proportion vs impact my answer is to blame the adult and stop blaming the children. Stop telling children that they “deserved it” for having a short skirt on or for thinking their Scout Leader is the greatest man in the world. But what about where two 15 year olds are having sex with each other when neither is at the age of consent – tricky, who’d be a parent?

2.

Redneck okay you don’t regard underage sex as a moral absolute that must be automatically considered evil. As I understand it you are not a pedophile, but your opinion and the opinions pedophiles propound coincide there.

I view underage sex as a legal, moral and psychological absolute wrong – I would be cautious to use “evil” because then people might start going around calling young girls like the fictional Lolita and Enaj’s daughter “evil” – the girls are already getting so much of the blame here I’d hate to add another pejorative term. Also “evil” is a religious pejorative term – according to many religions adults having sex with other adults is evil!

I would not support a sentence of 15 years as in your next example, “18 year old man who bonks a willing girl 30 minutes before she turns 16” but I would support a charge and conviction with no conviction recorded (which is the likely sentence). I see you’ve now gone from asking me if I support 5-year sentences for those who have sex with just-under 16’s to now 15 years! Most pedophiles don’t get sentences of anything like 15 years! Here’s an example: Robert Potter, 57, was jailed for eight years, with a non-parole period of 5½ years, for molesting four boys in his care between 1978 and 2002 when they were aged 14 to 16.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/prison-for-scout-master/2005/12/12/1134236005920.html

And see above Karen Ellis got 6 months and Gary Hopper got 3 and ½ years with 2 years non-parole (said 5 above sorry won't rely on your numbers again). Please use a reasonable sentence that the person in your example will get (ie. charge and conviction with no conviction recorded) and proceed to argue on that basis. Also, I happen to be opposed to the death penalty in all cases for anyone, including pedophiles.

Enaj clearly there are many survivors of child sexual abuse. Including you and me - this man is one of my abusers http://www.mako.org.au/tempdobbs.html he abused hundreds of girls over decades. I would seriously encourage you to consider making a complaint against your doctor.

Pendant

Oh My God. I looked at your link - I could not entertain the "more" link. I wish people would get their heads out of the sand.

Enaj and Pendant

Enaj - also female here. My first experience of unwanted child sexual abuse was when I was three years of age. I will never forget it as long as I live. My mother's closest friend's sons. They performed oral sex on me. I have never told my Mother. She would be devastated (she is 78 years of age). My Father (deceased) would, no doubt, have murdered them (WW11 soldier).

The second time was when I was around 10 years of age. He was the local shop keeper. He used to come around from the counter and touch my breasts. For years I went to another shop and did not tell Mum. I had to make up stories for the price of things at the other shop. Dad was still alive at the time - had he known - there would have been bedlam. I was naive. I was just told never to accept any lollies or "things" from a man.

Tragic eh?
Kay