Posts Tagged ‘ Mark Wigley ’

Gary Glitter was all set. After completing his 27 month sentence in a Vietnamese prison for molesting two little girls, the eighties rocker was back home in England and making money. Hewlett Packard was using Joan Jett’s version of his song “Do You Want To Touch ” to hawk their TouchSmart computer products. The royalty money began rolling in.

Then, Evin Daly (pictured) got mad. Sickened by the salacious lyrics which alluded to Glitter’s sexual predilections, Daly began a letter writing campaign that quickly turned into a worldwide, fist-shaking, fire-storm.

Glitter, whose real name is Paul Gadd, had no reason to believe his stream of income would be cut off by a web savvy gadfly from Boca Raton. He was free to do as he pleased in his native Great Britain despite his 1996 conviction for possession of child porn. H.P’s national ad campaign would bring in a pretty penny, and Daly’s initial complaints were brushed aside by corporate heads.

In October 2008, Daly turned up the heat. His web-based group Child AbuseWatch.net, called for an international boycott of Hewlett Packard products. A few weeks later, H.P. withdrew the ad campaign, and ceased paying Glitter. The National Football League also banned Glitter’s song: “Rock and Roll Part II, otherwise known as the “Hey” song.

All in a day’s work for Evin Daly, a Guardian Ad Litem for the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit in Palm Beach. The program provides legal representation for neglected and abandoned children who are before the court. His web site, “ButlerReport.com”, maintains a rolling commentary on a host of issues, particularly those concerned with child abuse. He is the founder of the AbuseWatch network that sent shivers up Hewlett Packard’s corporate spine.

In August, Protect Our Children picked Daly to receive the 2009 “Junny Award”. The annual award goes to the Floridian who has done the most to advance the American Child-Protective Movement. Daly, who was born in Sligo County Ireland, will be in Brevard November 21, to accept the award at the “Celebration In The Park”, in Cocoa.

“It is an unexpected honor…” he writes, “I am grateful to your board for their vote of confidence.”
Daly was the unanimous choice this year. Members of Protect Our Children were in awe of his activism. Executive Director Mark Wigley nominated Daly for the accolade:” It was a no brainer…” said Wigley, “his tenacious campaign to right a wrong inspired all of us.”

In 2008 Daly formed “Child AbuseWatch.net” as a compliment to the Guardian AdLiten movement. It is proving to be a potent force for pressing the agenda of child protectors. The group decries the use of children in reality TV shows, its website is filled with child safety information and links to useful sites on the internet.

“It has blossomed into an international mouthpiece for the protection of children and the education of parents,” says Daly. He asked that we recognize the organization on the award, a testament to his selfless commitment to the cause.

Daly’s restless activism moves on to the next issue. He was disgusted by the reaction of some members of the international film community after the arrest of pedophile director Roman Polanski.

Polanski had been on the run since his sentencing for assaulting a thirteen year-old in 1977. He was picked up by police in Switzerland in September and is being held for extradition to the United States. Prominent members of the film industry signed a petition protesting the arrest.

Daly has some words for them: “Shame on you and on the egocentric mentality that thinks that anything, any standing, any career, any contribution no matter how noble, can get you a free pass to the crime of child rape. It can’t, it won’t and it never will!”