Title: Perpetrators | Sexual Assault | INSPQ
Headings: Perpetrators
Perpetrators
Perpetrator, predator or sex offender?
Studies on perpetrators of sexual assault: methodology
Perpetrators of child sexual abuse
Characteristics of child sexual abusers
A word of caution
Child sexual abuser typologies
Strategies used by perpetrators to commit child sexual abuse
References

Content: Due to the wide range of sexually aggressive behaviour s and the many different underlying motivations, it is impossible to establish a typical profile of a perpetrator of sexual assault. That being said, deviant sexual interests (paraphilia) and cognitive distortions are two essential factors that explain why people commit sexual assault. 1
Three categories of perpetrators can be identified depending on the nature of the sexual assaults they commit, their relationship to the victim, their age and the age of the victim. 4 These categories are: perpetrators of sexual abuse against children, including intrafamilial and extrafamilial abusers; perpetrators of sexual assault against adults, usually women; and minors who commit sexual assault. However, these categories are not mutually exclusive since, for example, the same individual may assault both female adolescents and adult women. 4,5
Perpetrator, predator or sex offender? The term perpetrator refers to any person who commits a sexual assault, regardless of whether the victim is a minor or an adult, whereas sexual offender refers to someone who has been convicted of a criminal sexual offence.