The Paedophile Next Door

7 November 2014

 

With almost every passing week a new child sex abuse scandal breaks. In this sobering and thought-provoking  film, historian and acclaimed social documentary maker Steve Humphries sets out to discover why all the elaborate policies and legislation put in place to protect children from sexual abuse have failed.

He discovers some radical new solutions proposed by an increasing number of child protection experts which challenge our deep-rooted attitudes and emotional reactions to paedophiles.  They tell Humphries that many paedophiles live in our midst and go completely undetected. “They're not monsters with horns and tails, but ordinary blokes,” says senior lecturer Dr Sarah Goode – and this makes them so dangerous and difficult to identify.  Controversially, Dr Goode believes that the that the most promising way to reduce the number of child abuse cases is to encourage paedophiles who have not yet targeted children to “come out” and receive treatment.

This theory is supported by an extraordinary interview in which Humphries meets a man face-to-face who confesses, on camera, to his strong sexual attraction for children as young as five. He claims that he has not interfered with a child, nor could ever imagining doing so. He is so desperate for help that he is prepared to ‘out’ himself  in the hope that men like him will be more readily offered support to manage their unwanted desires.

Paedophiles are the most vilified of all criminals –  invoking universal hatred and disgust. Humphries hears from experts who explain that, as a result, the fear, self-loathing and stress paedophiles will associate with their desires makes them actually more likely to offend. Humphries explores pioneering schemes and initiatives designed to help paedophiles before they might hurt children. These ground-breaking schemes aim to educate families and encourage men to seek help - some of them provide residential support and treatment confidentially. Supporters of these initiatives believe they will keep children safe and are far more effective – rather than engaging with them only after they become offenders.

According to the NSPCC, 70 per cent of all sexual abuse is committed by a member of the victim's family. Abusers can also be teachers, scout leaders, or from the immediate circle of friends. These crimes frequently go unreported, because it is just too hard for children to speak out. Steve meets adult survivors of horrific abuse who bravely share their experiences. 

Sarah was abused by her father from a young age. When this was discovered, she was removed from her family and taken into care. Sarah should have been safe there, but the care home had been infiltrated by paedophiles.

Ian was the victim of a child paedophile ring which operated in his school – it took him more than 40 years before he could speak about it. They both recount their harrowing stories and reveal the devastating impact the abuse has had on them for years afterwards. Ian tells Humphries, that as difficult as it may be to discuss sexual abuse, he has come to the conclusion there is a real need to do so. Ian says: “If we don’t talk about it, less children will be protected…It may be uncomfortable to talk about but for somebody who has survived that, it is less comfortable than the act being perpetrated.”

To show how serious he is about the need to be more open, Ian agrees to a meeting with the self-confessed paedophile. “Some years ago, I would have probably attempted to kill you”,  Ian admits to him  but in this powerful and dignified exchange both survivor and paedophile agree the system is not working and radical solutions are needed - which include talking to paedophiles if we want to safeguard children.

As a multi-award-winning director, Humphries has previously made a number of films about Britain’s secret worlds of sex and he exposed sex scandals within the Catholic Church (Sex in a Cold Climate blew the whistle on the treatment of women incarcerated in Magdalene Asylums – later fictionalised in The Magdalene Sisters film). 

In this film he examines the historical context that has permitted paedophiles to exist and target vulnerable children and concludes that bold new approaches, as unpalatable as they may currently seem, are necessary and could provide hope for the future and ultimately safeguard vulnerable children.

Directors: Steve Humphries & Rudolph Herzog
Editor/Producer: Nick Maddocks
Prod Co: Testimony Films
Comm Ed: David Glover