Researchers recruit paedophiles to test efficacy of chemical castration to prevent child abuse
08 Apr 2016
Researchers have recruited paedophiles not convicted of a crime, for a project that aimed to show that men at risk of sexually abusing children could be identified and treated before they targeted a victim.
A clinical trial looking at the effectiveness of a 'chemical castration' therapy that cut levels of the male hormone testosterone was already under way in Sweden.
However, scientists are taking a further step to determine whether men in the general population who were worried about their sexual urges could successfully be treated to prevent them committing crimes.
They also hoped to identify 'biomarkers' - tell-tale substances in the blood or brain wiring patterns - that marked out individuals who could pose a danger to children.
According to the researchers, if such biomarkers could be found, there was no question of using people to conduct population screening for paedophiles.
However, they could help psychiatrists or prison governors decide if certain individuals could safely be allowed near children, or who might benefit from a drug treatment.
Irish Examiner quoted Christoffer Rahm from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, who heads the Priotab project, ''One in 10 boys and one in 20 girls is sexually abused during childhood. This issue is hard to deal with but we must, because it affects all of us."
The researchers believe a drug that stops the brain from calling for testosterone production could combat hyper-sexuality and aggression, turning off the need to seek sexual contact with youngsters.
The hormone degaralix was being tested on Swedish men who called a sexual-offenders' helpline because they were concerned about their paedophilic inclinations.
"The aim is to reduce child sexual abuses, intervening before the damage is done," researchers said, timeslive.co.za reported.
Rahm said, "Child sexual abuse is a pervasive social problem. Until now most of the attention has been on the police trying to deal with perpetrators but by this stage kids have been harmed. I want to explore methods that prevent child sexual abuse from happening."
