What is pedophilia? What is hebephilia?
Pedophilia is the term used to describe the sexual preference for prepubescent children, who, in terms of bodily development, have not yet entered puberty. That means that they have no pubic and/or armpit hair, a small vulva, a small penis or no or minimal breast development, and are in general not older than 11 years old. People with pedophilia can be sexually attracted to girls` and/ or boys` bodies.
People with hebephilia feel sexually attracted to children whose bodily development shows first signs of puberty (e.g. beginning growth of pubic and/or armpit hair, vulva in early stage of development, penis in early stage of development, or an onset of breast development). The following self-observations can be indicators for pedophilia/hebephilia:
- sexual arousal while observing prepubescent and/or early-pubescent children, or during contact with them
- Sexually arousing fantasies involving children with a prepubescent and/or early-pubescent body scheme
- usage of child sexual abuse images online (commonly referred to as "child pornography").
- Sexual acts in front of or with children.
There are individuals, who suffer greatly as a result of their disposition, which causes clinically significant distress.
Having a sexual interest in children with prepubertal or early pubertal body schemes does not necessarily mean that these people commit sexual assaults or automatically consume child sexual abuse images (so-called child pornography) on the internet. That is why the expressions pedophilia and hebephilia need to be notably distinguished from child sexual abuse. Under criminal law, the designation “child sexual abuse” exclusively refers to sexual acts with/involving children, whereas pedophilia and hebephilia describe sexual arousal or excitation in relation to prepubertal or early pubertal minors.