Public perception of paedophilia

The impression continuously arises in public debates that paedophile individuals are a homogeneous group of people that society unanimously rejects – and that this is the only way society can react. This comparative study, however, takes a differentiated view of the paedophiles themselves and of the attitudes of German and British students towards paedophilia. Using stigma theory as a theoretical basis and a data set of 4,000 responses, differing degrees of stigmatisation could be identified between the British and German students. It is this knowledge that leads to a complex discussion on the topic and an appropriate action plan for handling paedophile individuals.