Sandra Brown (campaigner)

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Sandra Brown, OBE , [1] (born 7 January 1949) is a Scottish campaigner and leading expert on child protection issues. She has also achieved wide recognition as a writer, broadcaster and actress.

Scottish people ethnic inhabitants of Scotland

The Scottish people or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically, they emerged from an amalgamation of two Celtic-speaking peoples, the Picts and Gaels, who founded the Kingdom of Scotland in the 9th century. Later, the neighbouring Celtic-speaking Cumbrians, as well as Germanic-speaking Anglo-Saxons and Norse, were incorporated into the Scottish nation.

Expert someone who has a prolonged or intense experience through practice and education in a particular field; person with considerable experience and/or reputation in a specific field

An expert is someone who has a prolonged or intense experience through practice and education in a particular field. Informally, an expert is someone widely recognized as a reliable source of technique or skill whose faculty for judging or deciding rightly, justly, or wisely is accorded authority and status by peers or the public in a specific well-distinguished domain. An expert, more generally, is a person with extensive knowledge or ability based on research, experience, or occupation and in a particular area of study. Experts are called in for advice on their respective subject, but they do not always agree on the particulars of a field of study. An expert can be believed, by virtue of credential, training, education, profession, publication or experience, to have special knowledge of a subject beyond that of the average person, sufficient that others may officially rely upon the individual's opinion. Historically, an expert was referred to as a sage (Sophos). The individual was usually a profound thinker distinguished for wisdom and sound judgment.

Child protection is the protection of children from violence, exploitation, abuse and neglect. Article 19 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child provides for the protection of children in and out of the home.

Contents

Biography

The daughter of Mary and Alexander Gartshore, Brown was brought up in Coatbridge, Lanarkshire, Scotland. [2]

Coatbridge town in North Lanarkshire, Scotland

Coatbridge is a town in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, about 8.5 miles (13.7 km) east of Glasgow city centre, set in the central Lowlands. The town, with neighbouring Airdrie, is part of the Greater Glasgow urban area. While the earliest known settlement of the area dates back to the Stone Age era, the founding of the town can be traced to the 12th century, when a Royal Charter was granted to the monks of Newbattle Abbey by King Malcolm IV. Coatbridge, along with its neighbour Airdrie, forms the area known as the Monklands.

Lanarkshire Historic county in Scotland

Lanarkshire, also called the County of Lanark is a historic county in the central Lowlands of Scotland.

Scotland Country in Northwest Europe, part of the United Kingdom

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It covers the northern third of the island of Great Britain, with a border with England to the southeast, and is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, the North Sea to the northeast, the Irish Sea to the south, and more than 790 islands, including the Northern Isles and the Hebrides.

Brown was educated at Coatbridge High School, Hamilton College and the Open University which awarded her an Honours degree in 1978 and a Masters in Education in 1996. She has worked as a primary school deputy headteacher and as a senior lecturer. She now runs her own business, Potential Plus, providing personnel training for companies and organisations. She has been married to her husband, Ronnie, for many years. They live in Edinburgh and have a son, a daughter and three grandchildren.

Open University university in Milton Keynes, UK

The Open University (OU) is a public research university, and the biggest university in the UK for undergraduate education. The majority of the OU's undergraduate students are based in the United Kingdom and principally study off-campus; many of its courses can also be studied anywhere in the world. There are also a number of full-time postgraduate research students based on the 48-hectare university campus where they use the OU facilities for research, as well as more than 1,000 members of academic and research staff and over 2,500 administrative, operational and support staff.

Honours degree has various meanings in the context of different degrees and education systems. Most commonly it refers to a variant of the undergraduate bachelor's degree containing a larger volume of material or a higher standard of study, or both, rather than an "ordinary", "general" or "pass" bachelor's degree. Honours degrees are sometimes indicated by "Hons" after the degree abbreviation, with various punctuation according to local custom, e.g. "BA (Hons)", "B.A., Hons", etc.

Edinburgh Capital city in Scotland

Edinburgh is the capital of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian, it is located in Lothian on the Firth of Forth's southern shore.

As well as campaigning against child sexual abuse, Brown has run a helpline for victims of workplace bullying in Scotland.

Child sexual abuse, also called child molestation, is a form of child abuse in which an adult or older adolescent uses a child for sexual stimulation. Forms of child sexual abuse include engaging in sexual activities with a child, indecent exposure, child grooming, child sexual exploitation or using a child to produce child pornography.

A helpline is a telephone service which offers help to those who call. Many helpline services now offer more than telephone support - offering access to information, advice or customer service via telephone, email, web or SMS. The word hotline is also sometimes used to refer to a helpline. A helpline can provide emotional support to person in distress in its minimalistic form. It may help the individual

Workplace bullying is a persistent pattern of mistreatment from others in the workplace that causes either physical or emotional harm. It can include such tactics as verbal, nonverbal, psychological, physical abuse and humiliation. This type of workplace aggression is particularly difficult because, unlike the typical school bully, workplace bullies often operate within the established rules and policies of their organization and their society. In the majority of cases, bullying in the workplace is reported as having been by someone who has authority over their victim. However, bullies can also be peers, and occasionally subordinates.

Moira McCall Anderson

Brown has believed, for many years, that, in February 1957, her bus driver father, an alleged philanderer and paedophile, participated in the abduction and murder of a missing local schoolchild, Moira McCall Anderson. [3]

Murder Unlawful killing of a human with malice aforethought

Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification or valid excuse, especially the unlawful killing of another human with malice aforethought. This state of mind may, depending upon the jurisdiction, distinguish murder from other forms of unlawful homicide, such as manslaughter. Manslaughter is a killing committed in the absence of malice, brought about by reasonable provocation, or diminished capacity. Involuntary manslaughter, where it is recognized, is a killing that lacks all but the most attenuated guilty intent, recklessness.

She campaigned to bring her father to justice, but her efforts were thwarted in 2006, when he died.

Political campaign attempt to influence the decision making process within a specific group

A political campaign is an organized effort which seeks to influence the decision making progress within a specific group. In democracies, political campaigns often refer to electoral campaigns, by which representatives are chosen or referendums are decided. In modern politics, the most high-profile political campaigns are focused on general elections and candidates for head of state or head of government, often a president or prime minister.

Moira Anderson Foundation

In memory of the missing child, she spearheaded in 2000 the founding of a charitable organisation, the Moira Anderson Foundation (MAF).

Since its inception the Foundation has assisted more than 500 families who have been afflicted by child sexual abuse, violence, bullying and related problems. [1] Despite research by Brown and others, Moira McCall Anderson's disappearance remains unsolved.

On 23 February 2007, the fiftieth anniversary of her disappearance, a memorial service was held for Moira at Airdrie Baptist Church, Lanarkshire. The service also commemorated other missing people and victims of child sexual abuse.

Media appearances

Now prominent as a spokesperson on child protection issues, Brown makes frequent appearances in the Scottish newspapers and in the UK media. Notable broadcasts on BBC Radio Four include The Choice (radio series) (interviewed by Michael Buerk) and Woman's Hour (interviewed by Martha Kearney).

The unsolved case of Moira McCall Anderson has been the subject of three television documentaries - Cutting Edge and Unsolved, and the Zone Reality Show Psychic Private Eyes.

Writings

One Of Our Ain

Brown has written a theatre play, recounting her childhood and the unexplained disappearance of the schoolchild - One Of Our Ain. This one-woman show, presented by Brown herself, has been staged at the Soho Theatre, London, Oran Mor Theatre, Glasgow and during the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2006.

Where There Is Evil

Brown has written a best-selling book about her Lanarkshire childhood and the mystery of the schoolchild's disappearance - Where There Is Evil (Pan Macmillan Ltd, ISBN   0-330-44871-4). The book has sold over 100,000 copies internationally, and ensures that the missing child's memory remains vivid in the public imagination. It also highlights the need for on-going vigilance and wider awareness of child protection issues.

As of June 2013, Brown is co-writing a feature film screenplay adaptation of her life story & book, Where There Is Evil, with London screenwriter, Amanda Duke.

Awards

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"Stranger danger" is the idea or warning that all strangers can potentially be dangerous. It is an example of a moral panic that people experience regarding anyone that they are unfamiliar with in society. The phrase is intended to encapsulate the danger associated with adults who children do not know. The phrase has found widespread usage and many children will hear it during their childhood lives. Many books, films and public service announcements have been devoted to helping children remember this advice. The concept has been criticized for ignoring that most child abductions and harm result not from strangers, but rather from someone the child knows.

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References

  1. 1 2 3 "OBE for child's rights campaigner". BBC News. 16 June 2006. Retrieved 2 April 2010.
  2. "Was my paedophile dad a murderer too?". Edinburgh: Scotsman. 20 April 2005. Archived from the original on 9 December 2005. Retrieved 5 January 2008.
  3. Cook, James (31 January 2014). "Moira Anderson murder: A 57-year search for the truth". BBC News. Retrieved 28 January 2017.
  4. "Tonight's the Night for Our Scotswoman of the Year". Red Orbit. 23 October 2006. Retrieved 5 January 2008.

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