WTF: Will These Child Sex Dolls Help Prevent Pedophilia?

It's difficult not to be disgusted and horrified at the topic of child-sized sex dolls. There doesn't seem to be any way to look at such a product as helpful and unrevolting.

Shin Takagi's company Trottla manufactures child sex dolls in an alleged attempt to help pedophiles curb their impulses. While Takagi has been making these dolls for over ten years, it appears that he's only recently come clean that they're for pedophiles.

In a 2013 Vice article, he was vague in his response when asked what the dolls were for, saying, "The purpose of the doll differs with each customer and the customer is free to use the doll in any way they wish." He also points out that the doll's sexual function hasn't been installed, and when asked if their sexual function would be installed he said, "No, because children do not perform sexual intercourse."

In a recent article in The Atlantic, Takagi admits that he struggles with pedophilic impulses. He says, "We should accept that there is no way to change someone's fetishes. I'm helping people express their desires, legally and ethically. It's not worth living if you have to live with repressed desire."

There are some treatments for pedophilia, from cognitive-behavioral therapy to chemical castration and other techniques used to suppress urges. The Mayo Clinic examined how researchers determine if someone is a pedophile, potential treatments both for pedophiles and sexually abused children, and the risk of pedophiles committing additional sexual offenses.

They found that treatments don't change the pedophile's basic sexual orientation toward children. In addition, among people who have actually molested children, the meta-analysis points out their relapse rates range from 10 percent to 50 percent. Takagi believes that other methods of harm-reduction are needed and thinks his products can help.

"I often receive letters from buyers [mostly men living alone] ... The letters say, 'Thanks to your dolls, I can keep from committing a crime.'"

Photos: Shenzhen ShengYi Adult Product Co.

Could these dolls really help pedophiles or would they have a reinforcing effect? Michael Seto, author of the book, Pedophilia and Sexual Offending Against Children suggests that there might be two different kinds of pedophiles.

"For some pedophiles, access to artificial child pornography or to child sex dolls could be a safer outlet for their sexual urges, reducing the likelihood that they would seek out child pornography or sex with real children. For others, having these substitutes might only aggravate their sense of frustration," he said.

I understand the desire to direct the pedophilic urges to something that won't hurt somebody else, but in time, the doll probably won't be enough and the pedophile will require more stimuli. Obviously, there needs to be more research done. 

The pictures of the dolls are very disturbing and that may be why the Trottla site is very clear about not using any of their images. The photo galleries used to promote the dolls on the manufacturer's website are beyond creepy, and make it very difficult to see them as a valuable tool in helping a pedophile curb their urges.