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BUENOS AIRES, Argentina. Pedophilia is a practice carried out within an unequal power relationship. Specialists agreed on this definition, also stating that it is not a “sexual orientation” but a crime involving subjugation. They thus refuted the narrative disseminated by a television program in recent days. On the program, psychologist Celia Antonini asserted that in pedophilia, “sexual desire is directed toward minors.”

“This is a sexual orientation (pedophilia). So they can relate normally, like any of us. But the sexual desire is directed towards minors,” Antonini said last Friday on the program Intrusos on América TV .

The remarks were made while the interviewee (invited as an expert) and the panel were discussing an organization that, for over 20 years, has been recruiting children and teenagers from the town of Oberá in Misiones province, Argentina, for sexual exploitation and corruption of minors in Buenos Aires. Four people have been arrested in connection with this case, including Marcelo Corazza, the first winner of the reality show Big Brother in Argentina and producer of the recently concluded season. The other three defendants were identified by the court as Andrés Fernando Charpenet, Raúl Ignacio Mermet, and Francisco Rolando Angelotti, who is believed to be the head of the organization.

Following Antonini's on-air statements, social media was flooded with condemnation. One of those condemning her was Sol Ferreira, a doctor, teacher, and influencer popularly known as Sol Despeinada.

“It’s impossible to build like this, impossible. Constructing discourses of this type not only fails to answer any questions, but also has zero political perspective on the power dynamic and manipulation that adults exert over children and adolescents. It’s awful,” he expressed via his Twitter account .

Presentes spoke with mental health and sexual abuse specialists Hernán de Arriba, Sonia Almada and Enrique Stola to find out why saying that pedophilia is a sexual orientation is misinformation.

What the experts say

Psychoanalyst and psychiatrist De Arriba emphasized that “pedophilia is not a sexual orientation. It is a practice that constitutes a crime, carried out within an unequal power relationship, and which implies subjugation.”

“Sexual violence against children is a crime against their integrity that is not linked to the sexual orientation or gender identity of the perpetrator,” agreed psychologist and activist Almada. She added that “it is a crime that is chosen, whether or not to be committed, with full awareness of the harm it causes.”

“The pedophile’s desire for the child’s body is linked to its use as an object, to the suffering it produces, to the threat and the prohibition,” he said.

For psychiatrist Stola, when discussing sexual abuse in the media, it is necessary to state that it is “clearly a crime.” He added that “any questions or debates should be addressed within academia.”

Furthermore, he warned that claiming pedophilia is a sexual orientation, like heterosexuality or homosexuality, is a way of "apologizing" for the act being committed, or "justifying" it.

Data on sexual abuse

According to a September 2016 report by the World Health Organization (WHO), one in five women and one in 13 men reported having suffered sexual abuse between the ages of 0 and 17.

In Argentina, the "Victims Against Violence" program of the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights 3,219 children and adolescents (NNyA) as victims of sexual violence between October 2020 and September 2021.

In turn, 36.2% of cases of sexual violence against children and adolescents occurred in the home, and 3.4% in a relative's home. In this regard, 56.5% of the perpetrators were family members and 17.7% were non-family acquaintances.

A debate with prejudices

Following the dismissal of the sexual abuse case in which Lucas Benvenuto denounced television host Jey Mammon in 2020 ; in addition to the investigation against Corazza and others involved, in recent days a discourse has also emerged that associates homosexuality with sexual abuse.

“Situations like this, where sexual abuse is evident, set in motion patriarchal family structures in which those involved try to deny what is happening. They try not to see it: ‘It doesn’t happen in my family.’ Therefore, saying that it is linked to a homosexual relationship is an attempt to distance the problem from where it really lies, which is within the family,” De Arriba pointed out. The psychiatrist is also a trainee analyst with the Argentine Psychoanalytic Association , a member of the organization 100% Diversity and Rights , and works at the Borda Hospital.

According to Stola, “homophobia, the rejection of homosexuals, or hatred, is present throughout the world. This prejudice fuels this type of speculation, and when these news stories break, it confirms the prejudice.”

Strengthening Comprehensive Sexuality Education

To address sexual violence against children and adolescents, specialists emphasized the need to guarantee Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) . They also warned about the sexism present within the judiciary and encouraged discussion on the issue.

“Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) is about recognizing, caring for, and enjoying one's own body. It's about being able to use one's body outside of the repressions that society often imposes, and also about being able to protect one's body from painful situations that cause suffering. I think CSE is fundamental for talking about childhood sexual abuse,” De Arriba pointed out.

He believes it's important that these situations are being brought to light. "There are many people who suffer in silence." "A person who is hurt in childhood suffers the consequences throughout their life. It's experienced in a very guilt-ridden way," he stated. He also emphasized the importance of "people who have experienced it being able to identify with this. To talk about what happened to them and begin the process of healing these wounds that remain within each of us."

Stola also emphasized the need to work on the justice system. “The judiciary, in general, doesn't believe children, teenagers, and attacks the mothers who file reports,” she said. She asserted that it is “hegemonically sexist and lacks training in gender perspective.”

Bill

Furthermore, Almada shared that the civil association Aralma Right to Time Argentina (DATA) movement are proposing a legislative change. In this regard, on July 21, 2022, they presented the bill “No Statute of Limitations for Different Forms of Child Sexual Abuse” to the Chamber of Deputies, and the committees for its consideration have already been assigned.

The project has three main objectives. First, it seeks to ensure that all forms of sexual violence suffered during childhood and adolescence are not subject to any statute of limitations. While Law 27.206 of 2015 establishes that crimes of sexual abuse against children are not subject to any statute of limitations, this legislation often only applies to situations that occurred after the law's enactment. Therefore, the project aims to ensure that survivors who suffered abuse before its passage are recognized as having the right to time.

Furthermore, he proposes changing the name of the crime from “child sexual abuse” to “sexual violence against children and adolescents .” “'Abuse' means the misuse or improper use of an object, and we are talking about subjects, and 'child' has nothing to do with it because it involves adult sexuality corrupting the mind and body of a child,” Almada explained.

Finally, she proposes the creation of a truth and reparation commission "to investigate these crimes in all areas as has been done in other countries such as France, Belgium and Canada," the psychoanalyst indicated.

“The debt owed to children is enormous. We must move forward with actions to raise awareness, prevention campaigns, the creation of specialized spaces for support, assistance and accompaniment of victims, and essential legislative changes,” she concluded.