Overview

The Paedophile Information Exchange (PIE) was a controversial activist organisation in the United Kingdom that formed in October 1974. PIE described itself as a campaign group for the rights of adults who were sexually attracted to children and sought changes to laws governing sexual activity and age of consent. Its existence and aims generated strong public opposition and sustained media attention during the 1970s and early 1980s.

Aims and activities

PIE campaigned publicly for the decriminalisation of sexual relationships between adults and children and for the reduction of the age of consent. The group organised meetings, distributed literature and newsletters, and attempted to provide what it called information and support for members. Membership was small by mainstream organisational standards, and many of its activities were carried out in private or to limited audiences.

Public reaction and controversy

From its first open meeting in 1975, PIE provoked strong negative reactions. On that occasion, protestors including parents brought demonstrations to meetings and threw rotten fruit and vegetables at attendees. The group’s positions were widely condemned by other charities, political organisations and the general public. Media coverage and campaigning by opponents kept PIE in the public eye and intensified scrutiny of its links and supporters.

Connection with civil liberties organisations

In 1975 the National Council for Civil Liberties (NCCL), a British civil liberties organisation later renamed Liberty, granted PIE an affiliate status. That decision and the association subsequently became the subject of public debate and criticism, especially decades later when past affiliations were re-examined. The NCCL itself moved to distance the organisation from PIE as public awareness and condemnation increased.

PIE’s public activity diminished during the 1980s amid growing legal and social intolerance of its aims. Individual members were later subject to police investigation and some were prosecuted and convicted for sexual offences. The group is now widely cited as an example of extreme and discredited advocacy. Contemporary discussion of PIE frequently appears in broader debates about child protection, the responsibilities of civil liberties groups and how organisations should review affiliations with controversial causes.