KUALA LUMPUR, June 16 — A paedophile is not necessarily a criminal, and there are those who sought treatment to suppress their desires, according to a clinical psychologist.

Alex Lui, who heads the department of psychology of HELP University said that paedophiles who did not act on their sexual desires are known as non-offending paedophiles.

While it would not entirely “cure” paedophiles from the disorder, Lui said with proper psychological treatment, it would teach them to how manage and live with it.

“Generally, any good psychiatrists, clinical psychologists and counsellors should be able to help those suffering from paedophilic disorder.

“However, there are no known body in Malaysia where people with paedophiliac disorder may turn to,” he told Malay Mail Online.

“Even if there is, many would not come forward for treatment for fear of being judged by society or worse, to be treated like a convicted criminal,” Lui added.

While noting that psychological treatment may teach some to manage their urges, Lui pointed out some studies have suggested that sexual preference of a paedophile was fluid and may change at any time.

“With conflicting results from these studies, we cannot safely identify any [particular] psychological treatment that may be successful in changing sexual orientation,” he said.

Consultant psychiatrist, associate professor Dr Muhammad Muhsin Ahmad Zahari from Universiti Malaya, who also echoed similarly said it was crucial to perform risk assessment to identify the level of paedophile behaviour.

“For high risk, it may be needed [sic] to use the pharmacological approach such as anti-androgen. It was found that through effective treatment by combining psychotherapy and pharmacological treatment, it can reduce the recidivism rate by 20 to 50 per cent. However, the treatment is for long term,” he said.

Anti-androgen is a form of hormonal response that can help to reverse the increase in sexual desire towards children.

The government is now proposing a new law to deal with paedophiles, similar to the United Kingdom’s Sexual Predators Act.

This comes after news of British paedophile Richard Huckle, who was sentenced to life imprisonment by a court in London for molesting 23 children and babies in Malaysia and Cambodia.

However, Dr Muhammad Muhsin said that legislation would only offer a partial solution to the problem, adding that without an effective rehabilitation programme, it might pose more harm in dealing with paedophiles.

“In some countries especially in the western part of the world, they will evaluate the extent of the offence. For those with low risk they will be monitored closely,” he said, adding that some paedophiles may be restricted from going to areas where children are present like a playgrounds and that their movements may be monitored as well.

“However, for high risk paedophiles, a proper close treatment or rehabilitation needs to be done if they are imprisoned. The release will only be considered when their cognition and behaviour have changed following treatment programme,” Dr Muhammad Muhsin said.