Re: Reply

You constantly do this. I never said it was inherently harmful but that it was more likely especially when there is a great age difference and inherent power differences between the parties and this is recognised by our guidelines for child development.

Okay, so you agree that the harm is not inherent--acknowledged. But my point still stands: if the power imbalance is an issue with regard to sex even in consenting cases, then that inherent power imbalance should still be problematic in every other activity in which kids engage with adults . . . pretty much everything.

Yes, I agree that is a problem, but essentially one that cannot be resolved since children are more vulnerable and simply do not have the requisite abilities to do certain things until they are older or are more mature. As good parents and with a caring society, it would be hoped that the children's best interests take precedence over the desires of others. Unfortunately we can't have either a completely free society or a completely controlled one - we have to tread a middle ground. There will be plenty of areas where controls of children are too strong perhaps - things like sexting, where the laws really do need to be softened, and in other areas too.

Ergo, if the power imbalance is the source of harm/trauma in most cases of consensual sex play, then it should also be the source of harm/trauma in most instances of all other consensual activities engaged in between adults and children. And yet it is not. Explain to me why? Why is sex fundamentally different from any other activity in terms of adult/child interactions? It's a simple question. Please just answer it.

Perhaps because it is seen as such an adult preoccupation, and it mostly is, with seemingly few pre-pubescents indulging in much other then 'play' or masturbation. There might it is true be the remains of attitudes from the past but the consensus view seems to be that a child's sexuality is for them to develop and not for ANY other to intrude into their life. That is why many, including myself do see paedophilia as intrusive and voyeuristic - the paedophile attraction has nothing to do with what a child experiences. I can hear the question coming - what if the child wants to be involved sexually with an adult? I can only answer that there may be other matters driving this need and that we simply cannot allow a 'freedom' that could harm much more than it could benefit and it is such a difficult area to 'police'.

Sex alone is not the issue - it is recognised that many children are sexual fairly early on and many aren't.

Ah, now we're getting somewhere! Okay, so sex alone is not the cause of harm either? Well, thank you! That's good news! That means we can correct for the problem and sex will no longer be an issue.

I never said it was necessarily a problem - it can be for those having very early sexual experiences and it can be for those involving those having older partners. Early sex has been linked to a variety of problems in later life.