Abstract:
Child abuse is one of the most important and crucial topics not only in present Sri Lanka but
also in whole world. Among the many forms of child abuse, sexual abuse holds a higher
place. Sometimes, the victims of sexual abuses are killed. However, in Sri Lanka, number of
sexual abuses of little children; both males and females has increased. Over 1500 cases
related to children reported per year in Sri Lanka. In modern Psychology, sexual attraction to
little children and interest to engage in sexual activities with little children (generally aged 13
or younger) is considered as an abnormal behavior. This abnormal or psychopathological
behavior is a mental disorder which is named as ''pedophilia" or ''pedophilic disorder" in
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-V (DSM-V). The American
Psychiatric Association (APA) has included ''pedophilia" as a mental disorder in its DSM
since 1968. There are various types of pedophilias and various perspectives and approaches
try to understand ''pedophilia" from their view points. Here, an attempt is made to understand
and explain "pedophilia" from a biopsychosocial perspective. Here, with the newest findings
of research studies about ''pedophilia," from biological, neurobiological environmental and
psychological perspectives, the sufficient and necessary causes and facts about ''pedophilic
disorder" will be discussed.
