Understanding paedophilia and bringing about hope for change

The story of 23-year-old Mathematics genius Nur Fitri Ameer Nordin shell-shocked the nation recently after he was sentenced to prison by the British court.

The young man, who was under a government study programme at the Imperial College London, was locked away for five years for reportedly being in possession of more than 30,000 images and 600 videos of child pornography.

What was even more disturbing to me was to read about how some self-proclaiming vigilantes over here in Malaysia had set up a Facebook page of Nur Fitri vowing to make life a living hell for him the moment he steps foot on Malaysian soil again.

The Facebook went on to post pictures of Nur Fitri with little children – presumably his relatives or others, at the beach and elsewhere – holding hands and hugging each other to insinuate he had evil intentions on them.

The comments about him on the social media were far from complimentary. They suggested and even called for even more heinous acts to be "performed" on Nur Fitri than what the media had reported were done to the children in the pictures which he was caught with.

I wonder if any of them realised that by unwittingly making such statements, they had become the very demons that they were accusing Nur Fitri of being?

Last week, I had the wonderful opportunity to meet up over a cup of tea with Datuk Dr Andrew Mohanraj, a consultant psychiatrist who has treated several cases of paraphilia – a great big umbrella of categories in which paedophilia falls under.

He presented me with an expert opinion on the subject.

"I was equally disappointed that everybody who is anybody had jumped onto the bandwagon to vehemently criticise and denounce Nur Fitri for having child pornography in his possession," was Dr Mohanraj's immediate response.

"Some have called for his detention once he returns to Malaysia forgetting that he is already paying a price for his misdemeanour by being imprisoned in the UK."

The psychiatrist then went on to point out that there is no law in Malaysia to punish anyone who has committed an offence abroad and having served a sentence for it.

It is very understandable that people were shocked and repulsed at the thought of an adult sexually taking advantage of a minor but hardly anyone highlighted the need to rehabilitate people with such proclivities, he said.

According to Dr Mohanraj, few bothered to note that only 15% of paedophiles acted on their desires and most hide their condition and choose to suffer in silence.

There is no evidence that Nur Fitri acted on his impulses, he added.

Even so, it is right that he is charged and punished according to the laws of the land.

"Mental health professionals are in the caring profession. We are only concerned about reaching out to those who cry for help – of course, while protecting the interest of society as a whole.

"As a psychiatrist, I am worried about Nur Fitri contemplating and attempting suicide knowing that there is really nothing to return to when he is deported to Malaysia upon the completion of his prison sentence."

According to Dr Mohanraj, upon Nur Fitri's return, he won't be surprised if everyone will be back in the centre stage waiting to pounce on him.

"I am not suggesting that he be given a hero’s welcome but something must be done to at least attempt rehabilitation on him.

"At the same time, other mechanisms must be put into place to ensure that whilst all sex offenders are dealt with according to the law are monitored by the authorities, but not necessarily harassed by all and sundry."

Legislation of laws to cover child pornography and sensible monitoring mechanism of sex offenders must be place.

It will be also good to remember that most sex offenders including rapists are usually people known to the victim or his or her family.

"So there is no need to worry about Nur Fitri walking into our homes and molesting our children."

Dr Mohanraj said it is important for everyone to understand what exactly is paedophilia and that it falls within a group of sexual disorders under the term, "paraphilias".

"Paraphilias are abnormal expressions of sexuality. It becomes a problem if a person acts on such peculiar fantasies leading to marked distress to one self as well as when it threatens the community at large," said Dr Mohanraj.

"Paraphilias include paedophilia, frotteurism, voyeurism, exhibitionism, sexual masochism and transvestic fetishism.

"Paraphilic behaviour peaks between ages of 15 and 25 and gradually declines. In much older men, the behaviour is usually practised in isolation or with a cooperative partner."

Paedophilia is the most common of paraphilias.

Psychoanalytically, paedophiles are individuals who have failed to complete the normal sexual development process.

This abnormal development results in bizarre behaviour providing an outlet for sexual drives that otherwise would have been channelled into normal sexual behaviour.

According to Dr Mohanraj, usually such a person would have had a very aggressive father or father figure causing a troubled childhood.

"There is every likelihood that the paedophile himself would have suffered repeated sexual abuse as a child. Paedophiles tend to dominate or control their targets to compensate for their powerlessness against their 'father' during their childhood.

It must be clear here that child molestation does not always mean that the offender is a paedophile," Dr Mohanraj said.

"In fact when a paedophile is involved, the experience may be less traumatic for the victim because the paedophile lures the intended victim through a variety of techniques that are appealing like the offer of money, gifts, companionship, etc.

"In the case of non-paedophile child molestation, the incident can involve threat or violence. The non-paedophile perpetrator also could be a married man, a single homosexual or heterosexual."

Dr Mohanraj believes that Nur Fitri is now paying a heavy price for having under estimated the capability of the British police and for not respecting the laws of the land.

In addition, it appears that there is not even a flicker of light at the end of the tunnel for him, he added.

"A life of misery and scorn awaits him. However, if he is committed to rehabilitation and if his family and friends support him through it, there may be some hope for him.

"Just as with people who have problems with drug addiction, he can be taught techniques to control his impulses and to avoid situations that could trigger desires," concluded Dr Mohanraj, who has offered to treat Nur Fitri upon his deportation from the UK. – May 18, 2015.

* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insider.