A senior official with the Dutch Olympic committee has insisted that a convicted child rapist in its beach volleyball team is not a paedophile, in an email seen by the Guardian.

A concerned British man who has lived in the Netherlands for more than a decade, wrote to the Dutch Olympic committee and called the inclusion of Steven van de Velde in the team “a stain on the Dutch national side”. In a reply the Dutch Olympic committee spokesperson wrote: “Steven is NOT a peadophile [sic]; you really don’t think that de Dutch NOC would send someone to Paris who IS a real risk? No, he isn’t a risk.”

There has been mounting public anger at the presence of the beach volleyball player Van de Velde, who was convicted of raping a 12-year-old British girl in 2016. Earlier this week the International Olympic Committee faced calls for an investigation into how a convicted child rapist has been allowed to compete at Paris 2024. The IOC has said the selection of athletes for the Games was the responsibility of individual committees.

There has been mounting public anger at the presence of the beach volleyball player Van de Velde, who was convicted of raping a 12-year-old British girl in 2016. Earlier this week the International Olympic Committee faced calls for an investigation into how a convicted child rapist has been allowed to compete at Paris 2024. The IOC has said the selection of athletes for the Games was the responsibility of individual committees.

    • Microw
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      3 months ago

      A rapist.

      If I’m not completely mistaken, they do psychological assessment on inmates here in Europe. Since they insist he’s not a pedophile then the assessment probably came to that conclusion. No underlying attraction to children, “just” a rapist who chose a child as his victim.

      • M0oP0o@mander.xyz
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        3 months ago

        They can not be called a pedophile unless made in the made in the region of Champagne, France Pedoland, Country of bullshit. He is just a sparkling child rapist.

      • Snowclone@lemmy.world
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        3 months ago

        There is no excuse or explanation that makes rape and sexual abuse to anyone, particularly children in any way OK.

        The point of this is understanding the abuser, how they think and operate to the end that knowing can combat their abuse of others.

        To that end, the nuance they are trying to point out is that rapists, while also 90% of the time picking victims they know, aren’t sexualizing children, they are raping, the harm and truama is the point, they are sadistically attacking, they aren’t sexualizing.

        A pedophile is sexualizing children, it’s a paraphillia outside of human sexuality. There are people who sexualize objects, actions, things that aren’t a part of inborn human sexuality, that’s what this is except rather than harmless it’s incredible, inhuman harm.

        Rapists can wait a long time to find an opportunity to rape their victim, or have detailed plans with lots of preparation, but the underlying motivation of the abuse is rape, attack, harm, not sex or sexuality.

        A pedophile will also often have very longterm prep to gain the opportunity to sexually abuse, job choices, religious choices, seeking community positions, and may spend a lot of time grooming their victim for abuse, for them the motivation is sexual. They sexualize children and that’s the motivation of the abuse

        It’s all rape, it’s all child abuse, it’s all traumatic and life damaging, and should carry MUCH harsher sentencing, it should be up there with murdered 1. But in an effort to understand what is happening and how to detect it, prevent it, or expose it, the researched data is important. There are a lot of adults who were themselves victims of abuse whom spend a lot of time researching these topics to combat them. It’s worthwhile.

    • croizat@lemmy.ml
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      3 months ago

      A lot of child molesters actually aren’t pedophiles (a minority, even, in some studies). Children are just generally easy targets for abuse

      • ayaya@lemdro.id
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        3 months ago

        I’ve had to explain this so many times. The majority of molesters are not pedophiles and the majority of pedophiles are not molesters. Pedophilia is a disorder, one that people suffer from at that. There is a (almost certainly) sizable group of pedophiles who have never actually done anything wrong but are caught in the crossfire of anger and therefore can’t seek help/treatment.

    • StupidBrotherInLaw@lemmy.world
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      3 months ago

      Ummm, ackshally, he’s an ephebophile, being attracted to young women, not children…

      Just kidding, he’s a fucking paedo.

    • Shard@lemmy.world
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      3 months ago

      He is Steven van de velde, convicted child rapist. Similar to that guy Brock Turner the convicted rapist but much worse because it was a child.

    • MrMcGasion@lemmy.world
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      3 months ago

      Probably one of those weirdos who knows the specific term for paedophiles who are into teens rather than younger children and tries to use it as if it’s a meaningful distinction.

      • Wannade@sh.itjust.works
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        3 months ago

        Okay, I’ll bite. How is that not a meaningful distinction? Do you really think attraction to a 15 year old and attraction to a 5 year old is the exact same thing? It’s just like the distinction between murder and manslaughter. They’re both bad but they are not the same.

        • MrMcGasion@lemmy.world
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          3 months ago

          I didn’t say it was the exact same, but to the victims the difference isn’t very meaningful, much like victims of murder and manslaughter are still dead whether we make a distinction or not. It’s meaningful for prosecution purposes - at least in the case if manslaughter and murder because it’s taking intent into account. It’s also a bit easier to accidentally kill someone than it is to accidentally have sex with a minor.

    • AdamEatsAss@lemmy.world
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      3 months ago

      A reformed person. He served his time and was released because he proved he changed. The corrections system in many countries is ment to “correct” bad behavior not simply punish it.

      • مهما طال الليل
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        3 months ago

        This is a fair point I am willing to entertain. But does he need to be on the olympic team? he can go on with his life and practice his beloved sport, but representing his country is a privilege he probably should have lost.

          • M0oP0o@mander.xyz
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            3 months ago

            The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) condemned his comments at the time, stating that his “lack of remorse and self-pity is breathtaking”.

            I think that part might just give you a clue.

      • Flying Squid@lemmy.worldM
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        3 months ago

        A reformed person. He served his time and was released because he proved he changed.

        The fuck are you talking about? He served a year in the UK for raping a 12-year-old multiple times, then got sent back the the Netherlands via a treaty, they didn’t imprison him, and he called it a lot of nonsense.

      • gmtom@lemmy.world
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        3 months ago

        Yeah, people are all fro prison reform and advocate rehabilitation over punishment until it’s a crime they have an emotional response to.