Voyeurism as a Criminal Offence: A Consultation Paper (Abridged Version)

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The Concept of Voyeurism

Voyeurism may be considered in two ways. The Canadian Oxford Dictionary defines a voyeur as "a person who derives sexual gratification from the covert observation of others as they undress or engage in sexual activity."

Voyeurism may also refer to a sexual disorder or paraphilia. Voyeurism paraphilia is characterized by :

• a), recurrent, intense sexually arousing fantasies, sexual urges or behaviours involving voyeuristic activity, and
• b), the fantasies, sexual urges, or behaviours cause clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning...

Many individuals include voyeuristic fantasy or behaviour in a repertoire of sexual fantasies. It is only when these fantasies become a focus for an extended period of time (six months or more) and cause distress or impairment in one's life that this would be diagnosable as a paraphilia.^[1]

The voyeurism paraphilia often accompanies other personality disorders such as exhibitionism.^[2] According to some psychiatric studies, 20% of people involved in voyeurism will go on to commit more serious sexual assault offences.^[3]

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^[1] The American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual on Mental Disorders quoted in Meg S. Kaplan and Richard B. Krueger, "Voyeurism: Psychopathology and Theory" in Sexual Deviance: Theory, Assessment and Treatment (New York: The Guilford Press, 1997), pp. 297-310, at p. 297.

^[2] Hanson, R. Karl and Andrew J.R. Harris, "Voyeurism: Assessment and Treatment," in Sexual Deviance: Theory, Assessment and Treatment (New York: The Guilford Press, 1997), pp. 311-331, at pages 313 and 314.

^[3] Ibid.

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