While sexual abuse of a child is one of the most monstrous crimes imaginable, unfortunately those who would perpetrate such an act aren't readily identifiable from outside appearances. Indeed, fewer attacks are initiated by random strangers; much more often than not, a child who has been sexually abused knows their abuser. While assaults by complete strangers via force are certainly not unknown, in the vast majority of cases abuse occurs over a long period and involves an emotional relationship full of deception and enticement.
Typically, those who abuse children do so out of one of three motivations. There are pedophiles, those who are sexually attracted to children; there are psychopaths, who do it out of hatred or other psychological motivations; and there are the child pornographers, who do it for financial gain. This last group is, thankfully, fairly rare - by far the most common predator falls into the first category, although psychological damage is almost always a factor in these cases.
Often perpetrators of sexual abuse were themselves abused as a child; in many cases a lack of resolution and coping with their own feelings of fear and loathing help carry over into their behaviors as an adult. Many abusers have drug or alcohol abuse problems as well, often as an attempt to "block out" memories or impulses. While female sexual abusers do exist, they are outnumbered by male offenders substantially. And while most have difficulty with mature, adult relationships, more than a few abusers were involved in seemingly happy relationships or marriages, right up until their secret was discovered.
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