A couple of ways would be: a distorted sense of attraction, all too often due to them being messed around with themselves

Feelings of (sexual) powerlessness - leading to them to seize control in other ways where they can

Not saying any of it’s ok, obviously.

The hardest part can be helping victims realise they what they’ve/ re experiencing isn’t love and them learn what healthy boundaries/ relationships are, especially when it’s been a family member perp.

Betting @Triphid has done a fair bit of that in his time, unfortunately.

@girlwithsmiles Thank you for sharing that insight. You have given me much to think about.

@girlwithsmiles Far more times than I care to count unfortunately.
However NOT one of my Clients in the 20+ years I've been both a Psychologist and a Counsellor has EVER turned into an Abuser of any kind.
I was also abused, emotionally, physically and sexually from as far back as I can remember by my 'mother' plus Anally raped by 3 men when I was 10 years old, BUT I've NEVER gone down that road, the opposite actually, I vowed in my own blood that I'd do EVERYTHING in my power to both ensure I never abused anyone nor would I merely stand by as someone else was made a victim.

@Triphid Mmm I know far too many people that have been abused and none that became an abuser. Well one killed his abuser, if you call that abuse. But we did work with a young man who was sexually attracted to children and it was believed that it was due to his own grooming and abuse, unfortunately. We had a psychologist that was trying to help him manage his feelings and appropriate people in his community were aware for safeguarding purposes.

@girlwithsmiles As is so often purported around by the Media and so-called 'Bleeding Hearts' that most Abuse Victims become Abusers in later life IS in, 80-90% of cases wrong.
The actual percentage is approx. between 2.4 and 3.1% of the Abused becoming the Abusers.
And, sadly for the REAL victims of Abuse, Legal Teams Defending Abusers play the " My Client was a Victim of Abuse" card with great alacrity at every possible opportunity.
In y OWN case files, Yes, I keep hand-written Case Records still, there are a sum total of 2,381 cases ( Clients) with whom I have worked over the 20+ years in Practice, and of those there are 293 Clients who were ONCE Victims and are now Survivors, NONE of which have themselves become Abusers.
As to the ' Killing of the Abuser by the Abused, ' well, imo, that is something which I would and do, STRONGLY advise my Clients NOT to consider since it, imo, would be 100% Morally WRONG.
However, I must say that in my own case of being Sexually Abused by 3 strangers when I was 10 years old, learning later in life that ALL 3 had died, NOT by my hand, but in ways that were most painful and prolonged DID give me a kind of satisfaction, short as it may have been, it was nice to know that they suffered for what THEY did.
Sometimes KARMA, or what ever one chooses to call it, does have a way of "evening up the scales" from time to time.

@Triphid so in your experience what was their reasoning? Or knowledge of how the circumstances have worked in the abusers’ favour, without giving tips to would be abusers? Because I’ve worked with both sides.
Poor parental boundaries has sometimes been the case, where siblings have been abusers, there have not been clear rules defined about acceptable and non acceptable behaviour. Parental alcoholism has led to parents placing their children unwittingly in the path of a groomer possible/ abuser, although I don’t know much about that perp and their history.
Like I said, that young man we worked with was sexually attracted to children, this Cambridge study suggests that this may be the case up to 35% of the time:

[cambridge.org]

but with male rape they say it’s not so much attraction, but power that is being displayed, it’s not so much a sexual act as it is one of violence and dominance. It’s possible that some of this may be displayed with youths too, if they become oppositional and the adult wants to show strength but I’ve never come across that.

Parental relationship with the abuser has led to their continued relationship with a family unit in one case, that abuser blamed alcohol on their lack of judgment, but again, I don’t know if they had a history themselves.
So anecdotally scenarios are more complex than someone being attracted to children, there are factors that add to the children being more at risk. Those things are in our reach to look out for, unfortunately we cannot change other people’s sexual urges, even when they make them potentially interfere with our young, but believing children is important, and the police have special training about questioning children, as you will know.
Also popularity, providing a child, as unpleasant as that is for a non child attracted adult to hear, has only been involved in one case I know of, thank goodness, but when you hear of organised rings this becomes more common. I lost touch with the young person that I supported that had gone through that, but at 18 they badly needed help still and were showing signs of controlling behaviour themselves
As for stopping the cycle: teaching children about boundaries, allowing open conversations, allowing a child to say no, not forcing them to kiss and hug, believing children, (but letting an expert interview them, if you think anything has occurred that is untoward).

@girlwithsmiles Yes, imo, there are, most unfortunately, what I choose to call Born Paedophiles and Abusers who seek to exert their sick desires, etc, upon those they seem to view as being 'easily dominated/exploited.'
I still give regular 'discussions with School Children ( Infants and Primary School ages mainly) re- such a subject and give advice of sorts as to how to avoid, react, etc, IF one finds themselves in such a horrific situation.
I still remember, quite fondly in fact, one such Discussion session from the first time I was invited to a School.
At the end I asked the children " What should they do if someone tries to snatch you or hurt you, parent/s included?"
A 5 year old girl stood up and answered, " My Mummy says to kick him or her in the parts between their legs, kick them hard and the run fast to the nearest house or shop for help."

@Triphid well at least some kids are getting useful advice. Not so easy if it’s someone that their parents have agreed should care for them though, which is an over represented group, stranger danger is another area of myth. Here’s hoping our collective knowledge around this increases to help protect the vulnerable.