Paedophilia and child sexual abuse in Malta

Abstract

Paedophilia, a concept which has turned well-known within a large number of societies especially after the world has turned into one globalised community. This dissertation addresses the typology of paedophilia in Malta by focusing primarily on the male but also referring to the female and juvenile offenders. This study concentrates on what type of psychological, sociological, environmental and motivational factors may lead an individual to paedophiliac behaviour. This research will first discuss in chapter 2 the existent literature previously researched in the United States, United Kingdom and in Australia. Subsequently, in chapter 3 the author describes the methodology adopted for this study in order to identify whether there are types or traits of paedophiles within the Maltese community and what other factors may be attributed to this type of sexual deviancy. Following the collection of data, chapter 4 deals with the salient points derived from the findings derived from the collected data. Finally chapter 5 identifies whether previous sexual abuse in the offender's upbringing may result in paedophiliac tendencies later in the life of the offender.