Underage sex offenders up 100%

Sexual violators have increased to 6,227 individuals in 2008, or 2.93 times the reported cases in 2005, and those who are underage have increased from 153 people to 751, according to TFCF, adding that the number of offenders aged six to 12 have increased the most, by more than double as compared to 2005.

Compared to juvenile offence cases in 2005, 2008 saw an increase in male violators by 160 percent and a 257 percent rise in female perpetrators, said Hsiao Tsung-chi, an official from TFCF.

The spike in female offenders may be a result of victims turning into offenders in order to compensate for their own suffering, added Hsiao.

Other reasons for the increase include minors trying to live out media or video game scenarios, peer pressure, reenacting pornographies and victims-turned-aggressors, said Chen Jo-chang, director of the counseling center at National Dong Hwa University.

Chen recounted a conversation he had with a convicted sexual offender in his 20s. The convict said that he had started playing sexual games with other kids in his neighborhood when he was six. The games only got more intense as he got older, and he ended up assaulting a neighboring child for the same thrills when he became an adult.

TFCF urged the public to teach children the importance of respecting the other gender, to be careful in selecting movies and other media for their children and to provide early counseling to sexual assault victims.

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