Way too many of you guys have bought the propaganda of pedophiles that pedophilia is just another sexual orientation: it’s not. It’s a maladaptation. It’s either desires you don’t want to have, or someone who finds absolutely nothing wrong with it.
The fact that this person feels they need to tell someone is enough of an indicator that the person’s pedoerotic desires are quite high. The fact that they had to stipulate that they wouldn’t act on them sounds a lot more like denial to me. I don’t need any other data to assume they might act on their desires. And if they are working with kids, the only way I might not report is if I thought they were getting psychiatric help–I’d let the therapist assume that role, as they know risky behavior better than I.
One of the first things they teach a pedophile is that they don’t really like children, they like the feelings they get being around them. A psychologist usually stipulates that the person not work with kids until it is taken care of (if that is at all possible.)
Now, mind, there is a difference between admitting wanting to having sex with a kid and finding them attractive. One can find something attractive without wanting to have sex with it. This does happen with plain old “sexual orientation”; heck, I’ve seen hetero posters on here talk about same sexed individuals they find somewhat attractive, as well as the opposite.
Also, I almost left out the OCD problem: being scared that you might have sex with children, even though you find the idea appalling. For someone with that disorder, you have to realize that, if you are scared that you might do something, that’s proof that you would do everything in your power not to.
But if someone flat out tells me you want to have sex with children? And you’re working with kids? You’d better bet I’ll tell. Not working with kids: well, I’d probably give a psychologist ultimatum first, as there’s less immediate danger. If I can get them to a psychologist by not telling, that would technically be better.
Note: The problem with extracting this to what the SDMB staff should do is that everyone who needs to know around here already knows. Calling the police won’t help, as they can’t do anything until a crime is committed. The best course of action, then, is to try and get the offender to admit to a crime (as has happened in other cases), rather than try to get the offender banned. Even if you succeeded, would anyone be any safer?