Childhood at Risk: How Children Became So Precious

Abstract

Constant anxiety about childhood is based on the perception that children are defined by their vulnerability. This sentiment is fuelled by the unique emotional investment that adults make in their offspring, and leads to the sacralisation of childhood. The sacred child has emerged as one of the main foci of moral concerns. Those who assert that they are speaking on behalf of the child can assume that they will gain recognition of their moral authority. The paedophile symbolises the antithesis of the sacred child and is therefore the principal target of moral crusades.