Debate Guide: All child molesters are pedophiles

"Sexual abusers of children are primarily attracted to their targets"

Or...

"Child sex abuse and pedophilia are partners in crime. The latter is the cause of almost all cases of the former"

It is estimated that only 2 to 10 percent of child sexual abuse perpetrators meet the regular criteria for pedophilia (Kinsey-Report, Lautmann, Brongersma, Groth). Others reinforce this, as indicated by our article, Research: Pedophiles in the criminal population, the vast majority of offenders being non - pedophiles who have been driven to offend by their personal situations. Such "situational" offending is particularly common in crimes of incest involving children. Possible causes include the removal, senescence or disablement of adult partners and the unavailability of alternative adults.

One could even speculatively argue that child sex offending is lower among pedophiles (compare the 2-10% projection to the apparent pedophile frequency in the Kent State Study), although it is worth noting that most observers attribute a higher number of infringements per captia to pedophilic offenders, as opposed to situational offenders. This may be because attractions last a lifetime whilst situations come and go.