Preventing pedophiles from interacting with children should be a priority, as curing the disorder is difficult, a doctor said after a man last month was charged with sexually abusing children.
Shen Cheng-nan (沈政男), a doctor in the department of psychiatry at the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s hospital in Nantou County’s Caotun Township (草屯), was last week commenting about a retired associate professor surnamed Chen (陳), who late last month was charged with alleged breaches of the Child and Youth Sexual Exploitation Prevention Act (兒童級少年性剝削防治條例).
Prosecutors called for Chen to be sentenced to a minimum of 10 years in prison, as he was last year handed a prison sentence of seven years and eight months by the Tainan District Court for similar crimes.
To be considered a pedophile, a person must have strong fantasies or urges of having sex with children, or have taken action on these urges, Shen said, adding that a diagnosis cannot be made without an examination.
There is no agreed-upon cause of pedophilia, although some research has indicated that pedophiles might have been sexually abused during their formative years, Shen said.
Such individuals might be introverted or shy with low self-esteem and show an interest in only being around children, he said.
Although some individuals like this marry, they might retain their urges, which they often keep secret from their spouses, he added.
It is difficult to cure pedophilia, as drugs, behavioral correction and psychiatric treatment yield less than ideal results, Shen said.
Trying to prevent pedophiles from coming into contact with children is far more effective, especially with the Internet and social media, where pedophiles can disguise their identity, Shen said.
Although children might be protective of their privacy, parents must take the time to talk with them about using the Internet to help them avoid becoming a victim, Shen said.
Left-Handed Girl (左撇子女孩), a film by Taiwanese director Tsou Shih-ching (鄒時擎) and cowritten by Oscar-winning director Sean Baker, won the Gan Foundation Award for Distribution at the Cannes Critics’ Week on Wednesday. The award, which includes a 20,000 euro (US$22,656) prize, is intended to support the French release of a first or second feature film by a new director. According to Critics’ Week, the prize would go to the film’s French distributor, Le Pacte. "A melodrama full of twists and turns, Left-Handed Girl retraces the daily life of a single mother and her two daughters in Taipei, combining the irresistible charm of
A Philippine official has denied allegations of mistreatment of crew members during Philippine authorities’ boarding of a Taiwanese fishing vessel on Monday. Philippine Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) spokesman Nazario Briguera on Friday said that BFAR law enforcement officers “observed the proper boarding protocols” when they boarded the Taiwanese vessel Sheng Yu Feng (昇漁豐號) and towed it to Basco Port in the Philippines. Briguera’s comments came a day after the Taiwanese captain of the Sheng Yu Feng, Chen Tsung-tun (陳宗頓), held a news conference in Pingtung County and accused the Philippine authorities of mistreatment during the boarding of
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The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is pushing for residents of Kinmen and Lienchiang counties to acquire Chinese ID cards in a bid to “blur national identities,” a source said. The efforts are part of China’s promotion of a “Kinmen-Xiamen twin-city living sphere, including a cross-strait integration pilot zone in China’s Fujian Province,” the source said. “The CCP is already treating residents of these outlying islands as Chinese citizens. It has also intensified its ‘united front’ efforts and infiltration of those islands,” the source said. “There is increasing evidence of espionage in Kinmen, particularly of Taiwanese military personnel being recruited by the
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