By Rachit Sai Barak:
Have you ever met someone who might have sexual feelings for children? Have you ever wondered why as a society we have a narrow perspective about paedophiles? Is there a way to engage with paedophiles? Is there even a need to do that?
‘This American Life’ is a weekly public radio show that picks up a new theme each week and presents various stories on that theme. Under their ‘Tarred and Feathered’ series they published ‘Help Wanted’, a podcast on the challenges paedophiles face in accessing help.
This is not a story that we usually hear about paedophiles. The podcast features the story of a 19-year old boy who has feelings for children but doesn’t want to act on them. It provides us with a perspective that for long hasn’t been widely discussed in the public domain: Is there help available for people who are attracted to children but need help dealing with it?
It’s a very well told story that makes you question the availability of access to mental health services for people who are diagnosed as paedophiles and don’t know how to deal with their own desires.