does anyone know of any schemes like this in the UK?

see i have never heard of these – anyone else heard of them?

Peoples oppinions

Paedophile helpline: Good idea?

It turns out nearly half the callers to a child abuse helpline are real or possible sex offenders themselves.

The Stop It Now! charity says they get calls from men worried by wanting to look at child porn online and from dads who are feeling sexually attracted to children at home.

Newsbeat spoke to John, who said he felt relieved at being arrested for looking at internet child porn. He felt addicted to the websites and didn’t know a way out of it: “Sad thing was, I didn’t know there was anything you could do.”

No-one would be prepared to listen to him talk about it and he says Stop It Now helped him break the cycle through counselling and group work with other paedophiles. Is this the way to go? Or do you think people attracted to children are beyond help through things like counselling?

Worried Mum
Paedophilia is not going to go away. I would rather these people were encouraged to face what they are and how to break the cycle, than we ignore them and hope they go away. I don’t think it would rationalise the crime to the offender, but would show them there is a route forward to stopping this behaviour for ever.
Jacob Kreed
We live in a world, where excusses are used all the time. Anyone who calls this line should be put on a Sex Register and then help should be force down there throat. More evil than War itself is the Sexual Abuse of Children. I live in Leeds, one local newspaper reported in Armley alone there 198 Paedophiles.
Ron
It does appear that those who think this is a bad idea is using the argument of “once a sicko, always a sicko”. They are missing the point that such helplines might prevent “would be” paedophiles from going any further. Yes, those that actually go through with the act of child abuse should be locked up for this unforgiveable sin, but help should be available for those that seek it.
Aled, Carmarthenshire
If we can help these people stop exploiting children we should. However, repeat offenders, i.e. caught more than once, should be jailed indefinetly. The main problem today is that although paedophiles are often identified they are allowed to work with children and are released early form prison – the recent fiasco with the CRB proves the current system doesn’t work.
Joanne Amer
Both my sister and i were abused by a trusted member of our family when we were very small girls. I told a responsible adult and our abuser admitted to it but the situation was covered up so that his family did’nt HAVE TO ENDURE ANY HURT.

Even though this man admitted to abusing us, hegot to live his life and unfortunatley has carried on abusing little girls. I finally found the courage to go to the police against my families wishes and am in the middle of court action. I am very doubtful of this service, these people need face to face intervention, the law needs to become tougher and repeat offenders institutionalised as they are a threat to society.
Jess
I know so many people that have been sexually abused. I think help would really be good. Offenders need help aswell as victims.
Laura
These people are sick and I think if an helpline stops even one child being abused then it is worth it. It isn’t going to stop child abuse altogether, but surely trying to help them is better than letting it go on behind closed doors.
Unimportant one
I feel that society is trying tto help all types of illness and i think that peadophilia is a illness that needs addressing more in support groups. Too much is happening behind closed doors and we need to support these people. If they themselves want to prevent any damage it surely would be rediculoous to prevent any help.

Look at what support is now offered to self harmers now and 10 years ago it was almost unheared off. Now i know that finding children attractive sexually is in my eyes far more unacceptable than self harming but look at what bringing that out in the open has done for the self harmers there are support groups and alot more information on the signs so we can all learn from this
Oli
No one would say paedophiles are normal in their thoughts about children. If these people are willing to come forward and have counselling before they abuse or encourage abuse, then that gets my support. Some peoples narrow mindedness will continue to drive this problem underground. It is far better that paedophiles are known and treated rather than anonymously roaming the streets having dangerous thoughts about children. The majority of opinions on here support this view.
Anonymous
I went out with a man who had 4 children and who had seperated from his partner,i was very much younger and still naive at the time.After a year,we moved away and i thought everything was great,until one day out of the blue,he was arrested and only then i found out he had abused 2 of his own children up until they were 16 and is now in prison for 5 years.

people think prison is going to help,but as much as i hate him,i dnt think it is gonna help him stop the thoughts and stop him doing it again.Hes remorseful but once a pedo always one in my opinion. they dont do much in there to help him,infact being around other pedos probably makes him 10 times worse. i dread the day hes released,but im far away from him now. i just hope he doesnt do anything ever again. i think a helpline might work,just the same as councilling so i think its a good idea.
Bob
I think that this is a very progressive way of looking at a problem. Those who think that all “pedos” should be locked up or have bits chopped off are not looking at the bigger picture. Yes those who offend should be punished but surely a better action would be to help those people who have such urges so that they don’t offend in the first place, would it not? I think that a service like this could only help this growing problem.
gandalf
This is an extremely progressive and positive move. Its about society saying yes devience exists and how can we manage it. So often as a society we fail to tackle serious problems. We deal with the fallout rather than preventative measures. about 16% of children are abused, i sincerely hope this can reduce and stop abuse. I have a mental illness and know many who’s schizophrenia has possibly been induced by the trauma of abuse. Once a person has been violated there is a lifelong legacy. Stop the cycle and this is a move in the right direction
andi
there should be help for these peole, but they should not be able to justify what they are doing, no matter how you feel it is wrong for them to do this and they should feel the wieght of the law. But if durg addicts and alcoholics can have self help groups to stop them why not pedophiles as well, it is our duty to help our fellow man….
Phill
I said to my wife that this sort of thing would happen eventually, everything in this society is becoming acceptable HELPING sickos like this is totally wrong there will be a paedophiles charity next god this country is getting sad!!!!!!
Lynsey from Manchester
I think that its a good idea for paedophiles or people who are thinking of molesting children or looking at child porn should have someone to talk to, if they did, it may stop them from taking the next step. They can talk about the urges they are having and get help before its too late, children may be better protected if possible paedophiles came and asked for help before they offend, rather than not being able to cope with what they are feeling and then molesting a child. People are also more likely to come forward if it is anomynous as there will be no stigma attached.
Natalie Miller
Finally something being discussed about a very uncomfortable subject. If helplines and support groups prevent even one child from being abused then they are aworthwhile investment in our society. The more research that is done and the more that is understood about an abusers urges then the more can be done to prevent it.

I was abused as a child and now have two young children and i firmly believe that praying this epedemic won’t touch our lives and condeming abusers as sick perverts beyond help is a dangerous assumption. As uncomfortable as it makes people protecting our children should be a priority. Unfortunatly chopping off all the abusers bits is never going to happen so we need to do everything else in our power to help.
I wish to remain anonymous.
I think that people need to disassociate child porn and child abuse. I am not going to deny that people that abuse children probably do look at child porn, but people who look at child porn don’t always abuse. Yes, the children in the photos are being abused, and by looking at the photos people are supporting this, but most of them don’t even think about it. Something needs to be done to make people realise this. Just because they look happy in the photos, doesn’t mean they are. I’m currently in the same situation as John, and have been in contact with Stop It Now to arrange councelling.
Dawn
If someone asks for help it should be available. If the only help available involves being arrested then this will force paedophiles to keep quiet. Allowing them to get help has to be a good thing- surely it’s better to try even if it only stops a small percentage from offending. Calling them evil and beyond help does not address the problem. paedophiles have often been abused themselves. this is not an excuse but the cycle needs to be broken.
Rob
Totally agree, think that this is good idea. I mean im sure there are 2 types of pedo, the first is the ones that know its wrong and want help-this would really help them. The second is the really dangerous pedo’s that just do it and dont feel any remorse. These are the ones that need locking up.
Anonymous
It would make paedophilia less taboo and but NOT more acceptable. Talking about murder or rape doesn’t make it more acceptable, but it makes it easier to try and do something about it.
Elle
Having been abused by my father as a teenager and having had to live with the effect of this for the past 12 years I think that this is an easy option out for abusers. It is an excuse for them to “get it off their chests” to make them feel better about what they are doing or thinking. It is not going to stop them, it is not going to bring justice to those they do abuse and it is not going to alter the devastating effect of paedophilia on children and their adult life. Once a paedophile always a paedophile – a helpline is not going to stop this.
Fran
Paedophiles should have their testicles chopped off – make them eunuchs, this way it would take away all of their sexual drive and make them harmless. A quick snip would solve all the problems. It is not acceptable to prey on young children and it is not acceptable to talk about these things, like you would the weather. It just all goes to show how mankind is devolving surely but steadily.
Adam
Some less taboo doesn’t have to mean more acceptable. It depends how it is spoken about and shown in the media, and I doubt, and pray, it is never shown in a good light. It obviously is an addiction so a helpline to help would be great. But the staff maning it will need plenty of support also.
AIMEE
im in no way saying its right, but paedophiles obviously have a problem- helplines for this ARE a good idea, bitterness against them wont help, and punishment – though right- can only do so much. they need help and treatment as well.
Jerome
Anything that stops pedophilia before it happens sounds like a good idea to me. Its not like the people who do it are inherantly bad people, they just have a strange obsession and by not telling anyone it can build up to the act. Keeping the problem taboo will keep progress to stopping it the same as its been the last century. None.
Jonathan Berrick
This is the kind of approach that will actually prevent child abuse. It actually tries to prevent abuse from taking place, unlike locking them up and throwing away the key which condems a child to being abused. This is a difficult but important step in the right direction if we want fewer children to suffer in the future.
Ruth Williams
I think the helpline is a good idea. It shows that these are not crimes of passion but pre-meditated. These people need help and hopefully this will encourage more research and find some sort of “cure”.

i like the idea of a helpline – why not call it a line for those who are or have been victims of sexual abuse as children [ie past and present victims] :groucho::groucho:

these IMO are the people who we need to reach before they repeat the pattern and create more victims – they need to understand that it was wrong that it was done to them and that they need to deal with it so that they can live their lives as normal people [not going on to do it to someone else because that is the only way they know of dealing with it :hopeless:]

it in no way excuses the sexual abuse but at some point we need to accept that society in general is far from perfect and only by cutting off the problem at its roots [for what i think may constitute the larger part of those with innappropiate sexual urges] are we going to stop lives being scarred by these unpleasant experiences:hopeless:

lives scarred in by abuse can lead to individuals becoming twisted and ugly inside as a result of what was done to them – these people will then, if not helped in some way, become a form of sociopath as they will operate with complete disregard for the acceptable forms of certain behaviours in society
the intervention has many possible forms [by which i mean it can be started in many ways – a relative or neighbour or professional worker etc] bringing it to the attention of the individual who must then be encouraged to take control of their life and come to grips with what was done to them and how they are going to deal with it – to break the cycle :weee:

only by empowering the victims in this way do i believe these forms of abuse will stop raaaraaaraaa

any other opinions on forms of therapy which may be beneficial to preventing abuse?

just a quick one i wanted to say but the powers that be closed the thread so i couldnt say it if it was up to me if there was no doubt to what the perves had done i’d happily shoot them myself that would solve the problem no arguement.im not try ing to start an arguement thats my honest opinion i’d do it myself sick people cant allways be cured sometimes you just need to stop it at source.and i dont get the whole family stranger argument it means nothing their all fucked up and need to be stopped/delt with so it CAN NOT happen again.

I’m sorry about your friends kids,they dont deserve that..

this is a very real danger and is another of the reasons i am not going to support sarah’s law

there are plenty of cases in the gutter and toilet paper press [even after you apply the pinch of salt tactic] of these kinds of miscarriages of justice – not restricted to child abuse either – where one party has misrepresented [ok – lied] the facts in order to either get revenge or cover up some behaviour unacceptable to their family and this has resulted in the conviction of another person for a crime they didnt commit:hopeless:

seven years for a crime you didnt knowingly commit is harsh and is why i always tell my friends to stay away from the younger girls if they cant verify [from a trusted source – not one of girls friends] that they are over 16 – its just not worth the risk:hopeless:
and in this day and age when even 12-14 year old girls trowel on the make up and can get into clubs [often with the managements knowledge] it is dangerous to take the risk of being involved with someone who looks young
plus they are usually seriously immature when you get to know them unless they have been on the Gaza strip paper round

I rekon it’s a good law, although I dunno about the name

So the law comes in… 110,000 paedophiles are named for anybody interested. How many bullets do you have? And is your conscience ready to deal with the mistakes that are inevitable? Because they will happen without question. Are they acceptable losses for the greater mission? And if so, would you be willing to make the sacrifice yourself?

Because that is the logical extension, and only reason for this law. If you aren’t going to vent your spleen at the named ones, and either hunt them from town (nobody will want to have them near after all), or kill them all and let god sort them out, what is the law going to do for you?

We all agree it needs dealing with, but black and white solutions to a problem with so many grey areas will only cause damage and hatred (the middle east will hopefully learn this soon too). Thats how it works… Hatred in=Hatred out.

What about the kid you twist beyond reckoning because you’ve done a parent in who had done nothing? One who was the victim of an unhappy spouse perhaps? Because in the climate of a witch hunt (which is what this will be), accusation will become fact far too easily (I have a pal who had his ex wife suggested some form of improper behaviour on his part to his kids – told them they couldn’t see daddy, as he might hurt them. A more unlikely paedophile you never met in your life btw, and all who know him know she was just being spiteful. What price his life if you’d shot him in the belief it was true? I certainly would never have forgiven you…And his kids would be devastated)

Feelings run high on this issue (understandably), but you cannot let your urge to take vengeance (because the feelings are so strong you lose all reason) cloud the discussion and solving of the real problem.

Which is where the stranger/well known argument comes in. There is a reason the NSPCC focus all their information advertising on the plight of kids in their family environment (April – you worked for them. Did you never ask?). In fact there are several:

1) It is FAR more likely to be the case – a very few cases of abuse involve total strangers (the targets of Sarah’s law). Most involve a family member or friend.

2) These are difficult in the extreme to untangle – kids who have known nothing else, and have the one who should be their protector telling them dire things will happen if they tell anyone are difficult to help – you cannot do anything if you don’t know about it, and the courts cannot convict with no evidence.

3) Families are sometimes unwilling to out a member who is an abuser, due to essentially an extension of the “what will the neighbours think” attitude. If they keep stumm, they can pretend at respectability (crazy I know, but happens a lot more often than you might think)

Sarah’s law will do nothing to help this situation, and will draw focus (a focus the NSPCC have worked hard and tirelessly to gain) away from this central issue, and give the public a “quick fix” for their anger. In other places, this is termed a Scapegoat.

As I said much earlier. LAW cannot be made on the basis of emotional temperature. It HAS to be done from a dispassionate perspective, or it is not LAW, it is reactionism, and that is usually ugly…

So someone who thinks this law is a good idea – explain to me (because I am sometimes a bit slow). How will my life as a parent be made any better knowing who has been convicted nearby? (taking into account earlier comments on the hunting/execution of all convicted…

All that will happen as far as I can see, is I will have a little more fear in my life (oh, and as a consequence of the witch hunt, the really clever evil buggers will have vanished from all radars, and will have nothing to lose anymore making life just a little more dangerous).

Eunuch’s have also historically been renowned for their prowess (Castration having been a regular practice until the start of this century – the last castrati dieing in around 1906 I believe) between the sheets.

And the pals I have who have been snipped to head off any more offspring sproinging from their already overactive loins said their sex drives became more insatiable, not less….Nother black and white view from what can only be called one of the clouded ones…..Simple answers, not because they work, but because they can’t be bothered to think it through – regurgitating the tabloids is easier, and safe as at least someone will agree with you….

Sorry….get really angry when people don’t think, and then get forthright with uninformed and counter productive opinions.

Mankinds devolution is another of those uninformed views. Mankind is not devolving wrt abuse of children. We are getting better. The aforementioned Castrati would rate as abused by anybody’s standards now, but were commonplace in the age of Victorian Values (the oh so prim, but secretly very twisted relationships that are in many respects responsible for the whole culture of silence thing today). Removing a boys testicles by placing in a scalding hot bath, and “manipulating” them to break down the tissue is abuse by anybody’s standards today. That is how it was done though – all for the dubious benefit of an “angelic voice”.

It may not be acceptable to her to talk about it, but it is damn well NECESSARY. Just because it makes you uncomfortable doesn’t make a brush under the table rid us of it….:argue_cur:argue_cur. Not talking about doesn’t make it go away, it makes it worse….I had other comments about this woman, but at this point they devolve into generalised cursing…

And 1 more food for thought. The case last year, where the guy killed his son who had Hunters disease (a slow lingering and extremely painful and undignified death) – he would be registered as an abuser. I personally know someone in very much the same position – having to watch a much loved child slowly degenerate to a disease that currently cannot be cured, and WILL result in a painful and lingering death at about 14 or thereabouts. I have a fair dose of empathy, and the pain that person goes through day in day out is unbelievable (easily enough to make the rabidly religious question gods motive here). The fact that they are not only still sane, but have enough of a soul left to reach out to others (they work in the social work field) frankly leaves me speechless.

My question therefore is if they couldn’t continue to watch their loved one suffer (a point I feel it must reach eventually), and they got registered as the other guy did. Would you be able to pull the trigger with a clean conscience? Should a person who has already endured more of hell than most of us could comprehend be made to endure more for our inability to see more than polarisation?

I would say no for sure – they would deserve as much love and support as society could give (but I’m a bit of a hippy so others may disagree). I defy you to see that in black and white/nail em up terms though…:good_evil

yes if i was 100% certain that someone was guilty of abusing a child i wouldn’t have a big problem with taking away the persons chances to repeat their actions.But what i was trying to say was that the present way of dealing with peodofiles is laughable evryone knows it,sarahs law is just a small step in the right dirrection to start showing that this sort of crime is not acceptable and won’t be tollerated,yes there probably would be innocent people getting wrongly accused,but in what law isn’t there?No i dont think it would stop them but it would be a bit more of a deterant.What would stop them is to get rid of them in a court of law,as ive said before they gave up their human rights when comiting these crimes why give them a chance to re-offend?It makes me sick that we(the tax payers)have to pay for these sick individuals to have a nice little stretch inside,whatever mental treatment/drugs they need,then sometimes we even have to pay for their protection/re-location when they get out :you_crazy i’d rather just pay for a little painless injection that would guarantee the end of the problem.As for not wanting to know were they live thats obviously a matter of opinion too.I dont have kids of my own so maybe thats were the differance in opinion comes from,but i do have a young neice and nephew that i love to bits and i would want to know if there was a peodofile living nearby,not so i could go and confront him but so they could move away.These people dont belong in society and theres not enough space or money to keep them all locked up.

ha sarah’s law thats MY name:imgay: 😉