have only skimmed the surface (Video nasties, TMID, 8 November).

I can’t help but agree with you that the problem of paedophilia has become alarming, apparently more so with the development of the internet. Let’s face it, there are some pretty sick people out there.

These people could be in direct contact with us day in day out, yet we are utterly unaware of who they may be. But the thing that struck me the most about what you wrote, was the fact that you only stressed the problem of male paedophilia.

I would have thought that if you are going to raise awareness on the subject, then instead of saying how your girlfriends are being put off men completely, you would at least throw in a line saying that a paedophile can also be female, and not narrow it down to just men.

Just because we don’t hear about female paedophilia in the local media doesn’t mean that there isn’t any out there. What do you have to say about them? Foreign news websites have plenty of stories to tell about female teachers having sexual relationships with minors. There are even websites dedicated to women who have sexual feelings towards their children! No such thing should be acceptable for either gender!

And what kind of male friends do you have anyway to belittle such an issue? You need a new crowd, dear.

Despite all this, I cannot take anything away from the points you raised, it’s such a horrific thing to fathom. But remember that a lot of less opinionated people will see the story as you put it, and will remain completely unaware of the realities of such an issue. I’m sure we both want the general public to see the complete picture, not just half of it. Wouldn’t you agree?

Joseph Vella

Qawra