ICMEC GALA FOR CHILD PROTECTION

Honorees Include Det. Insp. Jon Rouse, F. Hoffman-La Roche Ltd., Music Legend Dionne Warwick

CBS News' Lee Cowan Emceed Warwick's Granddaughter Cheyenne Elliott Performed

The International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children (ICMEC), a non-profit organization that advocates, trains and collaborates with global partners to protect children from sexual abuse, exploitation and abduction, hosted the 2018 Gala for Child Protection on Thursday, May 3 at Gotham Hall in New York City. The fourth annual gala honored Grammy Award-winning singer Dionne Warwick with the Global Humanitarian Award for advocating for children and global health issues throughout her lifetime. Detective Inspector Jon Rouse of the Queensland, Australia Police Service was awarded the Champion for Children Award for his dedication to fighting and investigating crimes against children for more than 30 years. F. Hoffman-La Roche Ltd. was presented with the Global Impact for Child Protection Award for its role as a global leader in healthcare since 1896. CBS News' Lee Cowan, an Emmy Award-winning journalist, served as Master of Ceremonies. Singer and actress Cheyenne Elliott, Ms. Warwick's granddaughter, who recently appeared on Fox's music competition The Four with judge Sean "Diddy" Combs, closed out the evening with a special performance.

Five-time Grammy Award winner Dionne Warwick is a musical icon whose 50-year career has made her a legend of American pop music and culture. She has sold more than 100 million records and had more than 60 chart hits. She served as a Global Ambassador for Health and Ambassador for the United Nations' Food & Agriculture Organization. Throughout her career, Warwick has, and continues to, support and campaign for many causes and charities championing children and global health issues.

Abduction survivor, author and actress Alicia Kozakiewicz, presented Rouse with his award. At the age of 13, Kozakiewicz became the first widely reported Internet-related child abduction victim. She has inspired millions through her powerful speeches as she shares the strength of the human spirit to overcome adversity and deny defeat through her own survival story.

As a decorated officer in Queensland, Rouse works tirelessly to investigate crimes against children. Rouse has been collaborating with ICMEC for more than a decade as a key training instructor for police officers, prosecutors and other specialists. He implemented Australia's first undercover operation targeting Internet child sex offenders and leads the operations team at Task Force Argos, a specialist unit responsible for the investigation of child sex offenders. Rouse also has represented ICMEC at high-level government roundtables including meetings with the Queen of Spain and the Prime Minister of Qatar.

1. Hoffman-La Roche Ltd. is a multinational healthcare company that has been committed to improving people's lives for more than a century. Roche creates innovative medicines and diagnostic tests that help millions of patients globally. In 2011, Roche became a Founding Sponsor of ICMEC's Global Health Coalition to address the public health implications of child sexual abuse and exploitation.

ICMEC is led by Ambassador Maura Harty, ICMEC's president and CEO. The evening was chaired by Dr. Franz B. Humer, ICMEC Board Chair, and co-chaired by Per-Olof Loof, ICMEC Board Member and the CEO of Kemet Corporation. Joe Dunning from Sotheby's led a live auction which included a ten-day cruise to Antarctica, courtesy of Abercrombie & Kent.

Proceeds from the Gala support ICMEC programs while raising awareness about the issues facing children globally. ICMEC works to create a world where children can grow up free from going missing, or being abducted, sexually abused or exploited. To realize their vision, ICMEC convenes strategic partners, advocates for improved protections and provides the necessary tools and training to those on the front lines of child protection.

About ICMEC

The International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children is a non-governmental, nonprofit organization. For almost 20 years, ICMEC has been a leader in identifying gaps in the global community's ability to protect children from abduction, sexual abuse and exploitation, and expertly assembling the people, resources and tools needed to fill those gaps. www.icmec.org.