Offenders don't randomly select children.
They offend specific children for specific reasons.
Child Molesters have stated that there are three main factors
that help them decide which children to target for abuse. These factors involve the:
(1) level of access they have to a particular child,
(2) the degree of attraction they feel toward that child, and
(3) the offenders perception of the child's vulnerability (Jensen 1999)
Simply put, child molesters abuse children they have access to, children they
can control and children they find physically or emotionally attractive. We
all know that “troubled” children are more at risk to be selected, but some
child molesters indicate that well-adjusted, well-mannered children are also
at risk because of their desire to please and willingness to follow the
directions of adults (Conte, J., Wolf, S., & Smith, T., 1989). Offenders
prey on the open, loving and trusting nature of children and usually abuse
children that they believe they can “safely molest” without getting caught.
