There’s a lot of pieces to this episode and story. This one always sticks out in my mind because of Munch’s experiences in the first and final scenes with this one woman who comes into the precinct often. It’s one of the most powerful tellings of intimate partner violence in the whole show.

But the main story in this episode: pedophilia. Can they control it? What kind of treatment is even effective? Why isn’t there any research on this? It’s a serious problem and us as a society not discussing it serves no one. It’s also an opportunity for child actors to get some big credits on their resume. There are such cute kids in this episode. 

Another common storyline in the show that appears in this episode – Stabler’s temper gets him in trouble. Again. Though I don’t totally blame him in this one. I think we all can empathize with him in this instance, but like also you’re a cop, keep it together. 

We open in a very crowded and rowdy squad room. Olivia looks amazing. This is like my favorite Mariska hair era. It’s straight and a little bit lighter color. We love it. Cragen explains to ADA Greylek that September sucks but things should quiet down soon. He continues, “Get abused at summer camp and no one tells until they get home, Greek week plus alcohol equals rape in the first degree, and there’s a spike in DV calls because kids are back in school.” Now, I really don’t know if I like her or not. I like that she likes to try tough cases but she’s kind of a pain in the ass. Cragen is like look, we’re sifting through statements and paperwork, we’ll call you when we need you. And she’s telling him that she wants to be more involved. She’s gonna show up at crime scenes, very hands-on. I like the energy, but also get out of the detectives’ way. Cragen is like yeah I’ve heard all this before, we go through ADAs quickly around here. And they do. Camera peeks into an interrogation room, this guy named Frank is yelling at Fin, “I never touched her ” and he’s like she looks like she went a round with Mike Tyson, dude. She has vaginal tearing, you raped her. Fin also makes a prison-rape “threat” to this guy, which I never like, but he’s got a point. Frank’s not budging, he even spits in Fin’s face. Fin comes out of the room and Cragen and Greylek walk over to the other interrogation room where the wife, Lisa, is being questioned. She’s telling Munch that her husband didn’t hurt her. Munch is not buying it. Greylek chimes in that the only way to stop him is to testify against him. And Lisa continues denying it. Munch comes in with the honest truth: “He’s escalating, the last time you were in here you needed 30 stitches.” She’s like I fell down the stairs, can I please go? And Munch hits her again with “If you leave now, the next time I see you, you’ll be in the morgue.” She leaves.

Greylek walks out to the bullpen. Stabler is hanging up the phone and says one of the hospitals has a kid with a suspicious fracture. Greylek offers to come along, Elliot’s like no thanks. Then an officer brings a teenage boy over and says he has information on a sexual assault, Benson takes it. He sits down with her and she starts taking his info. His name is Eric Byers and he is really upset and nervous. He starts to cry, of course Benson is being patient and caring and her usual self. He then takes a photo out of his pocket and is caressing it. He said it’s getting hard not to touch. He shows the photo to Benson and says it’s his stepbrother, Cory. And this kid is adorable, they always cast the cutest kids. Music swells. Credits roll.

Olivia and Eric are in an interrogation room now. She asks him questions and he’s terrified of his mom and step dad finding out. He’s like I haven’t done anything wrong but this would kill his mom. He’s like I’ve been drinking and I can’t stop thinking these horrible things. He asks if there’s a rehab center for him and Olivia says that rehabs are for people with addictions. He’s like I can’t stop these thoughts. This kid is tortured by it all. She goes out to talk to Cragen and she’s like I’ve never had a pedophile turn himself in before and Cragen is like do you think he might be looking for attention since mom just remarried?  Olivia is like who would admit something like that? Great point. She’s like all the signs are there, we don’t know he hasn’t acted on those thoughts and he’s 17 so we don’t need a parent’s permission to question him. And Cragen is like all he’s admitted to is thinking about it, we don’t know he has acted on them. Olivia is like I’m going to try to stop him. Both are making great points, it’s a very gray situation and you want cops to be thorough and investigate when someone tells them a child is in danger, especially in their own home. But the legal system will take advantage of you and cops can lie to you and trick you and you should always get a lawyer. Also I feel like CPS often finds little reasons to take away children when the family is poor. 

Then we’re at the Kelley residence, the mom Dana answers. Olivia asks a few questions, if Cory’s had any strange behavior lately, not wanting to be touched, tantrums, etc. and Dana’s freaked out. And then she’s like he played doctor with a kid on the playground, the school took it too far, etc. Olivia is like sexual acting out can often be a sign of abuse. Dana’s like no way. Olivia asks where her husband is, he’ll need to meet them at the hospital, and Dana is like who is telling you this? It’s all lies. And Olivia is like Eric did. She’s shocked, Olivia finally comes out with it, they think he might be abusing Cory and she needs to search his room. Dana is like no, you can’t search until you prove he did it. 

So then they’re at the hospital. Stepdad comes in and he’s pissed, he’s like I’m gonna kill Eric when I see him. Dana is like Eric did not do this, he couldn’t have, and he clearly needs help. Then the doctor comes out and is very specific about the results of the exam and I’m not writing it all down verbatim, but it’s all horrifying to hear if you’re a parent and they’re talking about your kid. But they found no physical signs of abuse. Olivia explains, we still don’t know for certain, digital and oral assaults don’t always leave a mark and there’s no distinct way to tell. Horrifying. She apologizes. These parents are destroyed.

Back at the squad, Stabler’s case is wrapped up and scheduled for arraignment. He’s like I heard your walk-in is a pedophile. And she’s like he definitely has urges but she’s not certain he acted on them. And Stabler is like I got this and walks over to the interrogation room Eric is in. Stabler-Benson tag team? We love to see it. And I’ll say it again, Mariska looks hot. Her hair is amazing. So Olivia and Elliott are using the Reid technique to get Eric to admit he molested his stepbrother. Elliot accuses him of molesting Cory. And he’s like no I didn’t and he’s crying and really upset. Olivia is like it starts with urges and asks if he met any other people like him online? And Eric said yes and they asked if he exchanged photos with these guys and he said no and this one guy told him people like them couldn’t help the way they felt and they were born this way. Don’t bring Lady Gaga into this. Abbott Elementary anyone? Jake runs a site called PediaPhacts and he told Eric, “Look, but never touch.” He said he could help him. Benson and Stabler walk out and Cragen says the child psychologist isn’t getting anywhere with Cory so he’s going to let Eric go. Olivia is like this kid needs help and Cragen is like the only treatment is for people who have already offended. “So he comes to us for help and we can’t do anything until he rapes a kid?” and Stabler is like that’s where this kid is headed.

Munch has dug into this Jake guy and his site PediaPhacts. He considers himself a pedophile’s advocate. Any photos on the site are not sexual so it’s not porn. That’s the only upside. No one wants pictures of their kids taken in public and definitely not shared on a website for pedophiles to… observe. Benson and Stabler go to his apartment to talk to him. And he’s been expecting them. They ask if Eric admitted to molesting his stepbrother and Jake is like no, and I did everything I could to make sure he didn’t. He gave him photos of little boys and he’s like I prefer little girls. Stabler says what we’re all thinking “You’re a steaming bag of crap that I would love to shove down a hole.” Olivia’s like, So you’re a good pedophile? He’s like I’ve never touched a child and we prefer the term pedosexual. He goes on to compare his attraction to children to homosexual relationships. And Benson and Stabler aren’t buying it, because it’s all bullshit. Children can’t consent and can’t be in a sexual relationship. Period. Still Jake is like I just look and have never touched a kid. He doesn’t allow people actively abusing children to be members on his site. He explains that a “sexually-satisfied pedophile” can’t keep his mouth shut. So if someone posts about doing so on the site, he bans them, there’s no anonymity. Olivia’s cell rings and she steps away, Jake takes this opportunity to get in Stabler’s head. He’s like I can tell you have kids and asks if he has any photos. “I promise not to drool.” Disgusting. Olivia then says Cory just admitted to being abused by Eric and his mom doesn’t know where he is.

Back at the Kelley residence, Dana continues to say she doesn’t know where Eric is and her husband is being a sack of shit like usual and he’s like what did you do to make your kid a pedophile? Abused kids turn into abusers. That really pisses mom off and she starts going at him. Stepdad gets kicked out. CSU found semen on boxers in the laundry basket.

Then we’re at the hospital, Cory is being interviewed by a psychiatrist and he shows him on the doll where he was touched. Greylek, Benson, and Stabler are watching through a two-way mirror, the psychiatrist comes out and says he’s too young to testify and he was coached. Greylek is like he just shoved a crayon up a doll’s ass, what do you mean? Doc is like there’s no physical evidence and it’s clear someone told him what to do to raise the alarm. Then Olivia asks her how much time she spent with Cory? They’re arguing about whether or not he was coached and Olivia is like Eric walked into our precinct looking for help and he said he didn’t touch him. Greylek walks out and tells them to find out where Eric is from his mother, she has to know.

Back at the squad, Munch ran her financials and cell records; she has not had any suspicious contact or withdrawals. They also went through Eric’s computer and search history and found he also visited some child sex abuse image sites. They call it child porn, but that’s not the correct term. Worth pointing out when SVU shows her age. Jake apparently just uploaded more photos to his site and the squad begins to look at them. Music swells when a cute little blond girl’s school picture comes on the screen and Elliot’s face changes. Fin hangs up the phone and says the DNA from the semen in the laundry doesn’t match Eric’s, but Sean Kelley, the stepdad. Stabler tries to make an excuse and tries to leave.

Then we’re in Weehawken, NJ, Fin and Olivia show up to confront Sean with the DNA evidence. He’s like it’s not what you think, they’re like: doubt it! Sean says look Eric started drinking, acting out more, it stressed us out, our marriage started to suffer, we’re not fucking as much, so I jerked off into the dirty laundry. Might be true, but I’m skeptical. They leave.

Then Stabler is at Jake Berlin’s apartment. He kicks in the door, he’s pissed. Munch knocks on the Captain’s door, and he’s like, we got a big problem. Captain asks, is that a kid from the website? And he’s like yeah, I didn’t recognize her at first but it’s Stabler’s daughter Elizabeth. She’s 9 in that photo but she’s 15 now. Cragen asks if Elliot saw, Yes he did, he grabs his gun, says “Move your ass, Munch. Call Olivia and Fin.” Everyone is racing to Jake’s apartment. Fin and Olivia arrive first and Jake is bleeding on the floor, Elliott is trying passwords on the computer trying to erase Elizabeth’s photo from the site. They make Jake delete the photo. Jake is like I want him arrested for assault. Elliot did really beat the shit out of this guy. He deserves it though. Liv follows Elliott out.

Back in Cragen’s office, Stabler is placing his gun and shield on the Captain’s desk. Cragen asks, “Any last words?” Cragen is pissed. He’s on unpaid leave “until all his bruises are gone… and yours too.” He thanks him. Cragen goes, “I’m not done, Detective. Three stand-up cops put their careers and pensions on the line for you. You might want to think about that the next time you decide to be a selfish son of a bitch and go off half-cocked.” I love when Daddy Cragen is angry. Elliott walks out, they’re all looking at him and he walks away without a word. Greylek walks in as he’s leaving and asks if they found Eric yet. And she’s giving them shit too like are you even trying? And Munch is like feel free to look for him yourself. Olivia finally speaks up and is like look we’re taking you seriously that’s why I called you. She’s like my gut tells me that Eric Byers molested his stepbrother but she doesn’t want him railroaded for it if he didn’t. She’s like there would be more psychological signs if Cory had been abused and a man obsessed with revenge coached him. I’m assuming they mean the father, Sean, but I’m not sure. And Greylek brings up the doll thing again, and Olivia is like “Have you ever had a rectal exam?” And then it clicks, they had to do one on this kid when they went to the hospital. Greylek is like, ok fine, but where’s Sean’s motive? And Fin is like he wants him out of his house, if he hasn’t molested a kid yet he’s going to. Olivia says to drop the abuse charges, get him to plead to the child pornography, that way he’s in prison and has access to mental health care. Until there’s a treatment program for pedophiles pre-offense, this is his best option. Greylek doesn’t like it, but it gets him off the street. Greylek is going to call the feds to discuss it. Fin points out, it doesn’t matter if you can’t find him, and Olivia is like that’s what I’m counting on.

Back at the Kelley residence, Olivia is talking to Dana again, now that there’s a deal to offer. I also love Olivia’s green jacket in this scene. She’s like no I don’t know where he is, he hasn’t called, Olivia is like if you know and don’t tell us you can be charged with obstruction. Sean chimes in that Cory is the one being abused and all anyone cares about is his abuser. Olivia is like, he’s facing 3-15 years in a federal prison, it’s not going to be easy. And he’s like I didn’t agree to shit, Olivia pleads with him, pointing out it would spare Cory from having to testify at a trial, and he doesn’t have an answer to that and leaves. Dana then opens up to Olivia, “Sean used to be compassionate and forgiving. I guess that’s my fault too.”  Olivia is like it absolutely isn’t. Dana is like I can’t understand how my kid is attracted to children. She’s like I keep thinking back and trying to figure out what she did wrong to make this happen. Olivia assures her she didn’t cause it. He just is. Olivia leaves her card and says if you hear from him call me. A great emotional scene. 

Next morning, Fin is bringing coffee to a car Olivia is staked out in watching the Kelley house. No movement all night. I think it’s sweet when they bring each other coffee. The conversation turns to Stabler. Fin is like I don’t know how he showed restraint. He’s like you know exactly what these guys do when they’re looking at these photos of children. He’s like I would’ve killed him if it was my kid. Just then, Dana emerges with a box of things. They infer that she’s making a delivery with such a small amount of items. They follow her to Eric’s hideout and upstairs.

~ If you’re squeamish, this next part is definitely not for you. ~

The detectives hear a blood-curdling scream and walk in to find Dana holding her son’s lifeless bloody body. He’s covered in blood and there’s a pool of it on the floor. Fin calmly and carefully pulls her off of him, she’s in hysterics, face covered in tears. She’s like I killed him, I killed my son. Dun-Dun.

Dana’s sitting in the back of a patrol car and Olivia brings her a coffee. She’s like why didn’t you tell me you knew where he was. She admits that he didn’t contact her until last night and had no idea where he was prior to that. He left a message wanting her to pick him up, she said she was going to bring him into the precinct. Olivia’s like with a box of his stuff? Really? And she’s like I found more photos of kids. Evidence, so they could give him more time. Olivia asks where he got the money to rent this place and she’s like I don’t know, I didn’t rent it for him. Liv is like he had you, he had no friends. She’s like I called him back after I got his message and said I never wanted to see him again, but she did give him $300. They’re going to check it out and if it’s true, she won’t be charged. But that doesn’t matter. Her whole world is falling apart. She’s like I wanted him dead and I’m glad he’s dead.

Back upstairs, Melinda Warner is here, waiting for some machine to scan something, it’s a thing that makes forensic exhibits for trial. They’re discussing the cause of death and what likely happened. Basically, Eric was stabbed to death with shitty kitchen knives and it took 7 blades to kill him. He was screaming the entire time. How do they know this? Eric dialed 911 on a disposable cell phone (untraceable) when he was being attacked and the call was recorded. It was 4 minutes long. Again, if that sounds horrible to you, don’t watch the next part.  Fin points out it’s unlikely the killer didn’t cut himself during the attack and that hopefully not all this blood is Eric’s.

Back in the squad they are listening to the 911 call. And it is horrible. The camera pans across each of their faces while Eric screams over and over. Olivia guesses that he likely called 911 after the first blade broke and the killer went to get another. He likely knew him because there were no signs of forced entry. They walk through what they believe happened based on blood spatter. Munch put out an alert to hospitals for knife wounds. Olivia points out that there likely is blood transfer, so on his clothes, in his car, etc. Olivia thinks it’s Sean Kelley, he’s threatened to kill Eric multiple times. Munch is like how would he know where Eric was staying if Dana didn’t? Olivia is like he left a message at home, Greylek is like it’s not enough.

Down at the M.E.’s office, Warner explains all the knife wounds, the killer was right handed, and also that Eric was sodomized with a foreign object. Splinters were identified as northern white ash, which apparently Sean makes baseball bats out of ash. Cut to interrogation, Sean is there with his lawyer and a baseball bat in an evidence bag is thrown onto the table. “I wouldn’t touch that if I were you. You don’t know where it’s been.” Sean’s like I didn’t kill anyone, Olivia isn’t buying it. There is now too much evidence against him to deny it anymore and Sean finally admits to sodomizing Eric. He’s like anyone who touches kids deserves to die. He’s like I left him crying but alive. The lawyers argue and Greylek is like yeah okay we’re still charging you with murder. 

Liv comes out to the bullpen and she’s like he admits to the sodomy but not murder, there’s no blood in his truck, so he’s likely telling the truth. Melinda walks in and is like you have a suspect? I found blood that didn’t belong to the victim. He’s diabetic and doesn’t know it or he’s not getting enough insulin. Olivia is like Jake Berlin is diabetic. Melinda says get me his DNA and I’ll compare it. So they look at the PediaPhacts website and find a post from Eric detailing his abuse of a child. All of the stress of staying away from Cory and he finally snapped. There’s your motive for Jake Berlin. Eric didn’t reveal his victim’s name, however.

Cut to Jake’s apartment and he’s being arrested. He admits he killed him, it’s what he deserved. He’s like I contain my urges, and he didn’t. Olivia is like pedophiles can’t control their urges. Jake also says, “I can’t have one.” when defending his motive for killing Eric. Like an alcoholic can’t have one drink. One act of child abuse and it’s all over. Liv is like every pedophile I’ve ever met can’t control their urges. And he immediately retorts back, can’t or won’t? Which is fair, and we’re still comparing it to addiction. Olivia is like what’s this kid’s name? Jake is like he wouldn’t tell me. Eric was like just let go and try it, that is what set Jake off. Trying to get him to break his abstinence. 

Cut to Olivia in a press conference holding a photo of Eric Byers, while her interviewing a child plays over voiceover. The little boy says he didn’t hurt him. And he’s adorable. That’s the 5th kid that came in and said he watched them but didn’t touch them. Munch is like you will find him, Eric described the assault in graphic detail. And Olivia’s like “Or this kid is so traumatized he can’t tell anyone or handle it.” Then our girl from the beginning, Lisa walks in and she’s got more bruises. She walks over to Munch and says, “I love my husband, Detective… I don’t want to be here and I don’t want to do this, but I don’t want to die.” and Munch says, “That’s good to hear. Have a seat.” And we fade to black as he continues a hushed conversation with her.

~ Executive Producer Dick Wolf ~

 So do all pedophiles deserve to die? Is there any hope for rehabilitation? Is it really something that can be treated like an addiction? I don’t know. It’s hard to say. Are they really not deserving of any empathy? Is it really a matter of control? Pedophilia is very taboo, for obvious reasons. It’s not something we talk about often, other than to say it’s horrible, which it is. But problems don’t get solved by sweeping them under the rug. 

I also, unfortunately, gotta say that Eric chose the wrong place to find support and treatment. The police are not there to help you. If you tell them you’re thinking about committing a crime they have a reason to watch you. They are now able to blow up your whole life and destroy your family. Do not trust the cops. Did Olivia Benson try to do the right thing? Yes. Did it all go to hell anyway? Yes. The police were not equipped to handle this. Even Olivia wanted him to go to prison because at least he would get therapy there. But how good is the psychological treatment for inmates? Would it be enough for him? So who should Eric have gone to for help? A therapist? Would they be required to report something like this even with doctor-patient confidentiality? A teacher is also a mandated reporter. His mom literally freaked and he knew she would. 

I considered compiling stats on sexual abuse of children but that’s a huge bummer. I’m more interested in solutions. 

I found a great article from 2021 about a controversial treatment from a German sexologist, Can a Radical Treatment for Pedophilia Work Outside of Germany?, in which the doctors treating pedophilic patients are not mandatory reporters by law, which enables them to offer psychological treatments without involving law enforcement. This new treatment is accredited to Dr. Klaus Beier, who  More countries are now interested in trying this method as well, but in places like the U.S. mandatory reporting laws make it impossible to operate legally. I’m certainly not against mandatory reporting laws. Though they don’t always prevent violence against children, especially in the cases of Gabriel Hernandez and Jerry Sandusky’s victims. Gabriel’s teacher reported his bruises to CPS. They knew his home was not safe. I understand CPS has their own limitations and guidelines they need to operate in, but his teacher reporting the abuse did nothing. He still died. Sandusky had plenty of reports of abuse against him and was still allowed to coach football. Mandatory reporting only works if the agencies and those in power actually do something about it. 

The U.S. is investing in preventative treatment without skirting these laws. “In March, the Moore Center for the Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health — a research hub for child sexual abuse prevention and an advocacy center for legislation and funding for preventative approaches — received a $10.3 million grant for a new initiative to develop and circulate efforts to prevent perpetrators from abusing children. The sum, awarded by Oak Foundation — a Switzerland-based foundation focused on addressing ‘issues of global, social, and environmental concern’ — is thought to be the highest yet invested in the U.S. in preventative efforts.” 

The ads for Dr. Beier’s foundation, the Institute of Sexology and Sexual Medicine at Charité, really struck me:

“You are not guilty because of your sexual desire, but you are responsible for your sexual behavior. There is help! Don’t become an offender!”

It’s really the act itself and viewing child sex abuse images that is illegal in the U.S., not the urge itself. I suppose the same could be said for morality. There’s a big difference between having disturbing thoughts and acting on them. And Dr. Beier agrees. The article states, “On television shows and in media reports, Beier came armed with a medical degree, a doctorate in philosophy, clinical detachment, and political savviness. He explained his theories to a national audience willing to hear them. ‘Our philosophy is that this is part of human sexuality,’ he says. ‘And we always said that they should never act out on their fantasies.’ Beier has what he calls a ‘clear standpoint’ regarding sexual attractions toward children: He separates desires from actions. Beier wants men to accept their sexuality so that they can control it. But if and when fantasies about boys and girls progress into reality, they become child rape, among the most heinous crimes imaginable. “This is the core idea of prevention,” he says. “We condemn behavior.”

It’s also worth noting that the treatment offered at Dr. Beier’s institute is covered under public insurance for German citizens. But many non-Germans have paid thousands of dollars to receive care. Plenty of his peers criticize the results and data he’s published about his work, saying he makes bold claims without enough evidence to back it up. Some even claim that he misrepresented data. Beier claims it’s due to a small sample size of only 53 men. He also states that rigorous studies in this instance “[aren’t] ethical because it would require a comparison between patients who received treatment and those who did not — which would mean withholding support from some of the men, knowing that it would make them more likely to abuse children. ‘We’re not overpromising what we can do,’ he says.” 

Despite the criticism of Dr. Beier’s work, many of his peers do applaud his work as it does seem to be helping his patients. What it really comes down to is “basically, reducing stress, increasing well-being, like traditional psychotherapy. And this would [probably be] worthwhile to implement on its own.” Of course, we all would benefit from therapy. But there’s also the component that relates back to the alcoholism parallel the episode showed. Dr. Beier states that “are motivated to stop any behavior.” So like an alcoholic, the pedophile has to want to change. The article continues, “Other researchers agree that there is a distinction between people who have abused children and those who have sexual interest in children but have not offended. “People who haven’t offended sometimes take great offense at the suggestion that they will,” says Elizabeth Letourneau, director of the Moore Center at Johns Hopkins, a program that is trying some preventative approaches in the U.S. If nothing else, she adds, Dunkelfeld “shows that tens of thousands of people want help.’” Build it and they will come. Offer resources and a judgment-free zone for those who want help and they will come. Some will even come from the other side of the world and pay thousands of dollars. But they have to do the work. 

The magazine did interview a patient, through an encrypted system and given no details of his identity, who actually is a lot like Eric. He realized at 17 that he was attracted to young girls. He saw the way pedophiles were treated online which raised the red flag even higher for him. He found the program, and has been receiving treatment for 8 years. He goes to group therapy with others like him, pedophiles who have never touched a child and want to keep it that way. He’s created a protection plan. He reminds himself that his mother was abused as a child and he needs to do better than her abuser. He also abstains from drinking and using cannabis, which he describes as being “extra safe.” Which I love. 

So that’s all well and good for Germany, but what can we do in the U.S.? The Moore Center at Johns Hopkins collaborated with Dr. Beier to try to translate his work to the U.S.

“‘Our approach with ‘Help Wanted’ has been, we don’t have direct contact between treatment staff or researchers, and clients,’ says Shields, who previously worked at the Moore Center. The work is done anonymously and confidentially so anyone can access it. ‘There’s no sort of direct interaction where reportable things would be transmitted. We’ve kind of taken a strategy of working with the restrictions that we have.’ Last year, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention awarded a $1.6 million grant to Help Wanted. The researchers will use the funds to evaluate the effectiveness of Help Wanted, which will then be used to revise the program. The grant will also help researchers examine risk factors — such as substance misuse — that may influence an individual to act on their attraction and molest a child.

The Institute of Sexology and Sexual Medicine at Charité also oversees a website and self-help program called “Troubled Desire,” based on experience from Project Dunkelfeld, that can connect users to resources in their respective countries.

Hopefully in time, we’ll have better preventative measures to protect our children, but even in Germany, science needs more time to develop.

Resources/Organizations/Recommendations:

For more context on the impact pedophilia has on families and some of the questions we attempted to answer today. I was able to find two Guys We F****d: The Anti-Slut-Shaming Podcast episodes on the topic:

• WHEN DID YOU FIND OUT YOUR DAD WAS A PEDOPHILE? Released June 26, 2015
• WHAT CONSTITUTES A HIGH-RISK SEX OFFENDER?, which seems to be behind a paywall so may not be accessible to others. I pay for a Luminary subscription just for this podcast, but they are starting to release full episodes on Apple podcasts again.