OUR MISSION

When the Loudoun Trust was formed in 2012, considerable importance was attached to the independent nature of the Trust. It is answerable to no-one, but only to the truth.

The Trust believes that the only way in which we can protect our children from sex abusers is to learn more about how such perpetrators think and feel. Different perpetrators have different motives for their actions – they require different approaches. Therefore we advocate an holistic approach to child sex abuse.

Some may say that by taking an interest in the motivation of the sex abuser, we are aiding and abetting them. Nothing could be further from the truth. There is an old adage -  “Know thine enemy”; it holds good in dealing with crimes such as child sex abuse.

There are many different types of person who become child sex abusers. The main categories are:

a) There are some who have the psychological vulnerability as being drawn towards children by what they see as love. It is a “love” which take no account of the human rights of the object of affection.

b) Another category is the person (usually a man) who has failed in adult relationships with the opposite sex. They may turn to sexual activity with children in order to achieve sexual gratification.

c) There are persons who for some reason  -  usually drug-taking - have lost all their societal inhibitions and see no difference between children and adults.

d) There are also those who are what many would term “evil” – people who are fully aware that child abuse is morally and criminally  wrong, but nevertheless seek satisfaction from it – or even exploit it for financial gain.

Each of the above categories provides a different motive for committing child abuse. Each must be considered separately – and dealt with by appropriate punishments, so that the perpetrator does not offend again.

Only by taking such a holistic approach can we try to prevent our children being sexually abused. Reaction to the subject of child sex abuse over the past few years shows that there is great public disquiet about the subject. There is profound public ignorance about its causes and about what should be done to prevent it.

All the trustees of the Loudoun Trust have professional attachments with bodies which have their own policies. Publications and opinions by Loudoun Trust members are independent of such bodies and should not be seen as in any way associated with any other professional or charitable organisation.

However, we naturally draw together the common ground that lies between such organisations. The Trust functions on a voluntary basis and relies for funding on voluntary contributions. Its core objective is “to advance education for public benefit about paedo-sexual offending and sexual crimes against children.”

Although the objective of the Trust is to provide reliable educative material so that professionals and the public at large may better understand the root causes of child sex abuse, the creation of the Trust coincided with the publication of the details of the Jimmy Savile affair. This inevitably led general discussion in Parliament and the Press to consider child sex abuse in the past, whilst the Trust’s desire is to consider the future. There was an inevitable pause in the work being done by the Trust whilst the ICCSA review is sitting and reporting.

We are attempting to form a link between the professionals and the public. We believe that a more open, thoughtful and informed discussion of the issues will lead, over time, to improved measures in addressing how best children may be protected and offenders dealt with in the most appropriate way.

We hope that our work may add clarity and greater meaning to the present inquiries and investigations by helping those involved to understand the problems that lay beneath the facts of the cases being considered. Ultimately such considerations may prove to be the most important and enduring work of those endeavours.