'The world is a dangerous place not because of those who do evil but because of those who look on and do nothing.' Albert Einstein

 

One Child International and Child AbuseWatch advocate on behalf of abused children. Our campaigns are national and international in nature. In addition to writing letters and talking to the media we provide support in many other less public ways. We get involved in prominent issues some of which are described below.

1. Oliver O’Grady – tracking a child sex predator
Oliver O'Grady (born 1946) is a former Irish Roman Catholic priest who raped, molested and abused multiple children in California from 1973 onwards. He had affairs with two women to access their children. After serving seven years in a US jail he was deported and went to Holland. He fled from Holland after his identity was revealed in the documentary 'Deliver Us from Evil.' He had been working with children through a church and was a party planner for the local McDonalds. He moved to Ireland where he was left unmonitored for years until he left his laptop in a plane which was loaded with images of graphic sexual abuse of babies and children. Irish police arrested him and found thousands of images at the hostel in which he lived in Dublin. At his first court date on Dec 11, 2010, Judge James McDonnell allowed
O' Grady bail at Euro 500 ($700) despite repeated and strong protests from the Irish police.

> One Child letter to Irish Judge James McDonnell (Dec 13, 2010) (Read)
> Defrocked priest charged with possession of child pornography (Dec 12, 2010. Tribune
   News) (Read)
> SNAP: Notorious CA/Irish predator arrested - Sex abuse victims respond (Read)
> O’Grady background (Modbee.com, June 7, 2010) (Read)
> Summary of O’Grady’s history (Lodinews.com Dec 13, 2010) (Read)
> Documentary that covers O’Grady’s life available on You Tube (rent it for $1.99): Access or
   in segments free Here

2. Inform (Ireland) Campaign: Child protection and abuse prevention public information
One Child International has submitted a proposal to the Irish Government to provide child protection and abuse prevention information to every house hold in Ireland. The purpose is to ensure that the public is adequately informed about how to protect their children. An information campaign is the cornerstone of any child protection policy.
The Irish Government has spent in excess of Euro130 million on compiling reports of child sexual abuse over the past 10 years. Read more
The protection and prevention package consists of these three brochures (pdf) (Read)
Initial media coverage on October 17, 2010 from News of the World Ireland (Read)
Receive free copies of the package by emailing your name and address to info@abusewatch.eu

3. 'Inform' campaign: Child Sexual Abuse Explained (for concerned parents) 2010 - 2011
This campaign is the result of feedback we have received from law enforcement and child advocates who are frustrated about the poor quality of information available to parents about child sexual abuse. It is presented in the form of a multi-language brochure (see pdf here) which explains in plain language all about child sexual abuse. The brochure puts aside safe language and allows readers to see, perhaps for the first time, the various and harsh aspects of this type of abuse. The campaign is free to the end user be that a member of the public, victim services advocates, law enforcement, health departments, rape crisis centers. The initial print run was allocated on four days. The brochure is available in English, Spanish, German, Irish, French, Portuguese and Hebrew. Get a copy by sending your name and address to info@abusewatch.net. Larger quantities of 50 or 400 are available at no charge.

4. Letter to Irish Bishop Dennis Brennan (Read) March 2010
In response to Bishop Brennan's decision to seek funds from parishioners to pay for the cost of defending child abuse cases, Child AbuseWatch wrote to him.  We advised him of the injustice of his asking the very people who had been abused to pay for the costs involved. No response received; letter was published in a newspaper in the Bishops parish. A copy was sent to Archbishop Diarmuid Martin in Dublin.

5. Pete Townshend, the NFL and  the Super Bowl XLIV half time Show (read) 2009 -2010
In the Fall of 2009 the National Football League announced that they had invited the British band the WHO to play the half time show at the upcoming Super Bowl XLIV half time show in Miami. Child AbuseWatch wrote to Roger Goodell  the EVP of the NFL and Mark Emkes, President of the shows sponsor Bridgestone objecting to the invitation of Pete Townhend to paly. Townshend is a UK registered sex offender, a result of his pleading guilty to accessing online child pornography. Letters were also sent Mr. Shoshi Arakawa, Bridgestone Chairman in Japan all of the shows sponsors highlighting the fact that they were knowingly hiring a child ex offender. The news was picked up by the media around the U.S. and the world. An estimated audience of 33 million people listened or read details of the objection. Countless radio and TV interviews were given in the U.S. and Internationally. The campaign was joined by child advocacy group Protect Our Children.

6. Roman Polanski: film director, producer, actor, pedophile 2009 - 2010 (Read)

7. TLC/Discovery Jon & Kate plus 8. (Read) 2009 - 2010
In 2009 Child AbuseWatch objected to the use of the Gosselin children in the J&K+8 show. The children were not recognized as actors, rather as participants. As such they were un-protected by state law.  TLC had not received child labor permits to ensure the children's interests - including compensation - would be overseen by a third party.  CAN further objected to the televising of the parents divorce and the ensuing emotional abuse that this caused the Gosselin children. In 2010 TLC received adequate permitting and the children are now represented. The original show was taken off the air in the Fall of 2009 and has been replaced with a new one without the dad.

8. Pete Townshend and the WHO received the Kennedy center award (Read) Dec 2008
The WHO were given an award by the Kennedy Center. Child AbuseWatch wrote to the center to object as Pete Townshend was a registered sex offender in the UK for the possession of child pornography.

9. Hewlett Packard - Gary Glitter - 'Touch' Ad Campaign  (Read) Fall 2008
In the Fall of 2008 Hewlett Packard launched their new 'Touch' screen TV. A multi-million dollar campaign was rolled out. The background music they used was, suitably, 'Do you wanna touch?' composed by Gary Glitter and performed by Joan Jett. Child AbuseWatch wrote to Mark Hurd, the CEO of HP and their board of directors advising them that the songs composer and the beneficiary of royalties, Gary Glitter was a convicted pedophile and child abuser who had recently been released from jail in the Far East. We requested that in light of this information they remove the song. When they did not respond we told them that we would provide a press release to the media voicing our concerns about the song's use, the payment of royalties to a child sex offender and HP's lack of response. A press release was issued and was picked up world wide by over 300 media outlets leading to HP's withdrawal of the commercial. Extensive media coverage was provided in the UK.