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PhD Defence: Cand. scient. ant. Mikkel Rask Pedersen

Pedophilia, Politics, and Prevention - Listening to online peer support forums for pedophiles

Info about event

Time

Monday 2 October 2023,  at 13:15 - 16:00

Location

Aarhus university, Søauditorierne, 1252-204 Edouard Bier-mann-auditoriet, Bartholins Allé 3, 8000 Aarhus C

Bedømmelsesudvalg

  • Sara Jahnke, Førsteamanuensis, Institut for Helse, Miljø og Likeverd (HEMIL), Uni-versitetet i Bergen, Norge
  • Christopher Gad, Lektor, Teknologier i Praksis, IT-Universitetet i København
  • Finn Olesen, Lektor, Digital Design og Informationsvidenskab, Institut for Kommuni-kation og Kultur, Aarhus Universitet (formand)

Vejledere

  • Professor Peter Lauritsen, Digital Design og Informationsvidenskab, Institut for Kommunikation og Kultur, Aarhus Universitet
  • Virksomhedsvejleder Per Frederiksen, Red Barnet
  • Virksomhedsvejleder Kuno Sørensen, Red Barnet
  • Seniorforsker, cand.psych., ph.d., Susanne Bengtson Pedersen, Sexologisk Klinik, Region Hovedstaden

Afhandlingen er tilgængelig for offentlig gennemlæsning før forsvaret. Kontakt Mikkel Rask Pedersen mira@cc.au.dk for at modtage en digital kopi.

Ph.d.-forsvaret er berammet til tre timer og er åbent for offentligheden. Alle er velkomne.

 

Abstract:

The stigmatization of people who are sexually attracted to children is a prominent concern for child sexual abuse prevention. Despite popular belief, many who are sexually attracted to children successfully manage to live without committing abuse, yet punitive attitudes in society can lead to detrimental psychological effects which have been associated with an increased risk of offending. More so, stigmatic attitudes in society also deter people who are sexually attracted to children from seeking help due to fear of exposure, guilt and shame, and mistrust in mental-health professionals. This dissertation explores online peer support forums as a technology to prevent abuse for their potential to provide accessible, anonymous, and trustworthy places of support to obtain strategies to live lives without offending and combat stigmatic risk factors. Through ethnographic investigations of online peer support forums and help seeking practices in Danish individuals who are sexually attracted to children, this dissertation’s empirical insights reveal new perspectives and inherent political tensions in child sexual abuse prevention research and practice. Theoretical concepts to navigate political and social challenges in child sexual abuse prevention research and practice are suggested.