True, but the question is, are there more now and if so why? (And for the 'why' I'd want to know the real reasons and not ideologically constructed ones). It sure seems like there are more child molesters now, just as there are more serial killers.
I know that I would never allow my kids to have the unsupervised freedom that I had. Of course some of the things we did were also physically dangerous.
Yes but now they feel entitled to molest kids.
And even to kidnap them. The increased communication that allows parents to be more aware of child molesters also tells child molesters about the crimes that others have attempted and gotten away with. But why do some people feel sexually attracted to children? Is this number going up?
There was an old man who lived in a shack in the next block. His was a gathering place for the town tramps, guys we now call, "homeless." One of this group had a larger-than-life persona. He was called "Bum Smullen," and was rumored to grab little kids and carry them off in his burlap bag. No one I know of ever actually saw Bum Smullen, and nothing was told about what he did with the kids he "captured," but the legend was all it took for us to be wary of strangers.
I don’t think they are attracted to kids as much as they are just plain perverts. Anything will do but kids are the easiest targets.
Psychiatrists have been trying to answer that question for years. I don't know why, some people are just perverts and sociopaths, I guess.
True, but the question is, are there more now and if so why?
I am not sure that there are more of them. In the 70’s research showed about 1/3 of women were sexually molested in a local study. I would say that still holds true, using 70’s standards.
There aren't more now. The rate of sexual assaults and abductions committed against children by strangers has actually declined over the last 30 years. It just appears to be more widespread because we live in a 24 hour news cycle and are constantly barraged with sensational child abductions and Amber alerts (most of which are perpetrated by non-custodial parents). The majority of children (I think about 90%) who are victimized are done so by an acquaintance. This has always been the case.