2010 press releases
Posted 10 February 2010
Colm O’Gorman Delivers Opening Lecture at AIT Social Care Seminar Series
The opening lecture in a new child care and social care seminar series at Athlone Institute of Technology (AIT) was delivered last week by Colm O’Gorman. The founder of the charity One in Four and Executive Director of Amnesty Ireland addressed a packed lecture theatre on the theme of children’s rights.
Speaking about his own personal experience and the changes that have occurred in Ireland over the past two decades, Mr O’Gorman said that “Nothing ever changed in the world that was the result purely of leadership. Real change happens through the concerted effort of individuals, people who are outraged at something or care passionately to try to do something about it. That’s the real force for change that exists in the world; the power of the individual to speak out in an impassioned way, based on a conviction, based on truth, based on a belief that things should be different.”
He commented that while people may at times feel overwhelmed by the horrific details emerging from various inquiries and reports, that their “outrage and desire to see things changed is real. We are a changed society as a result,” he stated. We should acknowledge the past and society’s collective failures, he continued, and recognise that as individuals, people have power or control over the direction that society takes.
In his introductory remarks, AIT President, Prof. Ciarán Ó Catháin, said that “through his work as a human rights defender and social justice campaigner, Colm O’Gorman has made history by casting a light on the darker side of life. He has changed lives and brought comfort to the many survivors of sexual abuse who are living with their own experience of this universal crime. By challenging the State, the church and Irish society to recognise and address the issue of child sexual abuse, he has perhaps done more than any other to protect and vindicate the rights of children.”
As a survivor of clerical sexual abuse, Colm O’Gorman first came to prominence in Ireland by advocating for the rights of victims of sexual abuse. He subsequently founded One in Four, an Irish charity which supports men and women who have been sexually abused or suffered sexual violence. In his role as Director of One in Four, he was instrumental in the establishment of the Ferns Inquiry, the first State investigation into clerical sexual abuse in Ireland. Mr O’Gorman is a regular media commentator and contributor, and has written extensively on social justice and human rights issues. His first book, Beyond Belief, was published in 2009 and became an instant bestseller. A former senator, Mr O’Gorman is currently the Executive Director of Amnesty Ireland.
The Child Care and Social Care Seminar Series provides an opportunity to explore topical issues arising within these fields in Ireland today. Organised by the Department of Humanities at AIT, it is planned to organise one seminar per semester. Speakers will be leading experts in their discipline and will offer an opportunity to learn at first hand from those at the cutting edge. A video recording of Colm O’Gorman’s lecture can be viewed online at the seminar web page: www.ait.ie/socialcareseminar.
