Peder means "gay", not pedophile in croatian (or serbian). A bit less problematic, but still not that acceptable in the balkans.
So we have an old specific meaning that combines a 1) male 2) adult targeting a 3) male 4) child. This allows for a whole range of possibilities and thus possible disambiguties, if one or several of the four components were relaxed.
There are some parallels with the history of the word "homosexuality", because "homo" in Latin can mean both: "male human" or "human in general". The word often excluted female homosexuality, when it was limited to the performance of a particular sexual practice, namly anal penetration.
For example, Gay Byrne[1], who was sort of like the Irish Johnny Carson; a big cultural figure.