Ashton Kutcher Resigns From Chair of Anti-Child Sex Abuse Organisation

Ashton Kutcher has resigned as chairman from an anti-child sex abuse organisation that he co-founded, amid backlash received over letter he and wife Mila Kunis wrote supporting Danny Masterson before his rape case sentencing.

"After my wife and I spent several days of listening, personal reflection, learning, and conversations with survivors and the employees and leadership at Thorn, I have determined the responsible thing for me to do is resign as Chairman of the Board, effectively immediately. I cannot allow my error in judgment to distract from our efforts and the children we serve."  

He also acknowledged his letter of support undermined the organisation's efforts. Danny was sentenced to 30 years to life.

"As you know, I have worked for 15 years to fight for people who are sexually exploited. Victims of sexual abuse have been historically silenced and the character statement I submitted is yet another painful instance of questioning victims who are brave enough to share their experiences. This is precisely what we have all worked to reverse over the last decade."

He offered a "heartfelt apology to all victims of sexual violence and everyone at Thorn who I hurt by what I did," as well as the "broader advocacy community. I remain proud of what we have accomplished in the past decade and will continue to support Thorn's work. Thank you for your tireless advocacy and dedication to this cause."

Ashton launched Thorn in 2012 with ex-wife Demi Moore after learning about "the issue of child sex trafficking from a documentary highlighting what was happening to children in Cambodia." 

As part of his role as co-founder, he testified in a 2017 hearing with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to examine the progress of the US in ending modern slavery and human trafficking.

The resignation comes one week after he and Mila penned to a judge presiding over Masterson's case were brought public. 

Ashton described Masterson as an "excellent" role model who had been "nothing but a positive influence on me."

"He has always treated people with decency, equality, and generosity. I do not believe he is an ongoing harm to society and having his daughter raised without a present father would be a tertiary injustice in and of itself." 

He urged the judge to take Masterson's daughter Fianna Francis (9) into consideration.

Following criticism for supporting the accused, Ashton and Mila released a video message to apologise for "the pain that has been caused by the character letters that we wrote on behalf of Danny Masterson."

"They were intended for the judge to read and not to undermine the testimony of the victims or retraumatise them in any way. We would never want to do that, and we're sorry if that has taken place."