ABSTRACT
Children can be abused by both adults and other children. They can be emotionally, physically, or sexually abused, or they may suffer from various forms of neglect. Sex offenders may choose to offend children for various reasons. They may possess a true sexual preference for or sexual attraction to children, or they may select their victims based on a particular child’s vulnerability, the child’s availability, or the opportunity presented. Although females can-and do-molest children, the majority of research focusing on child sex offender typologies has historically involved male sex offenders. Thus, for purposes of discussion in this section, the pronoun “he” or variations thereof are primarily used when referring to the child sex offender.
