Witchhunt Against Pedophiles

Some aspects of the relation of Western societies in the last years towards pedophilia may be described by words like moral panic, hysteria or witchhunt. Horrible legal penalties are part of this witchhunt.

But there are a lot of other ways of hunting pedophiles:

• Censorship of pro-pedophile information.
• Flame and hysteria in mass media.
• Political pressure for stronger persecution.
• Discrimination at the working place.
• Unproven and false accusations.
• Threats with violence.
• Violence.

Another question is the usage of this witchhunt for other purposes:

• against freedom of speech, for more censorship,
• against the gay movement,
• against sexual freedom in general,
• against privacy, for more control possibilities by government,
• against males in general by radical feminists,
• for political aims in election campains.
• to get custody in divorce cases.
• fabricating cases for the own career.

Nonetheless, there may be also other reasons for this witchhunt. Krauthammer 1996 considers it at outbreaks of irrationalism. The comparison with the classical withchhunt - like the Salem witch trial - is interesting.

A typical witchhunt effect is an increasing number of accusations combined with decreasing number of substantiated cases. Research from Australia and Britain indicated that while expenditures for child abuse [remedies and prevention] have increased greatly in the past decade, the number of substantiated cases has remained about the same (FMSF Newsletter, July/August, 1995, p.3). Data from two states, New Hampshire and South Dakota, appear to show a similar pattern.

• Peter Melzer.
• The pastor Joseph Douce (France) was killed.
• Francisco Vallini (Italy) was hold in jail for two years without trial.
• An example of threatening phone calls.