Safeguarding Childhood

Ms. Mama Fatima Singhateh (The Gambia) was appointed as the UN Special Rapporteur on sale and sexual exploitation of children by the UN Human Rights Council in March 2020. She started her mandate on 1 May 2020. Ms. Singhateh is a trained lawyer with over 20 years of experience, currently working as an international Consultant on human rights and legal and institutional reforms. She holds a master’s degree in International Business Law from the University of Hull and has undergone numerous trainings in child rights programming, arbitration and mediation, and legislative drafting. She is a member of the Honourable Society of Lincoln’s Inn, in the UK. Ms Singhateh has held a number of high-level positions in public service in the Gambia. She is a former Justice Minister and has held positions as prosecutor, legislative draftsperson, High Court Judge and Justice of Appeal.  She has drafted laws, organized and conducted many training sessions, delivered presentations at both national and international fora and written articles and reports on many issues relating to protection and promotion of human rights, particularly on the rights of the child. As Minister of Justice, Ms Singhateh personally supervised and oversaw the drafting of the laws that prohibit and criminalize female genital mutilation and child marriage, and successfully presented them in Parliament for enactment in 2016. Between 2002 and 2007, she headed the Child’s Rights Unit within the Ministry of Justice, which was established to enhance the promotion and protection of the rights of children in The Gambia, particularly the girl child. Ms. Singhateh also served as project coordinator within the Ministry for the UNICEF–Government of The Gambia Country Programme of Cooperation. As project coordinator she was also chairperson of the technical advisory committee which under her leadership oversaw the successful drafting and enactment of the Children’s Act, the implementation of the Children’s Act, the establishment of the Children’s Court, and the drafting of the Trafficking in Person Bill (now Act). Ms. Singahateh has served as a member of the Board of Directors of Ecpat International in Thailand and the Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the Child Protection Alliance in The Gambia. She has also served as a nominated member and legal advisor to the National Women's Council in The Gambia.

Janet Aguti is a Ugandan social worker, life coach, and a survivor of Childhood sexual abuse. She is a practitioner and activist and has dedicated her life to empowering and supporting other survivors of sexual abuse. She thought she was alone growing up however, she discovered a vast network of survivors who, like her, were struggling to find healing, justice, and a sense of belonging. Witnessing the pervasive impact of sexual abuse on individuals and communities, Janet resolved to create a safe space where survivors could come together, find solace, and receive the support they desperately needed.
Janet founded an organization called "Totya Platform" a local word meaning “Don’t Be Afraid” with a mission to empower survivors of sexual abuse and create a comprehensive support system that helps them navigate their healing journey. Through this organization, Janet tirelessly works to break the cycle of abuse, raise awareness about its devastating consequences, and provide a lifeline to those in need.
Totya Platform offers a multitude of services tailored to survivors' diverse needs. She has assembled a compassionate team of psychologists, therapists, social workers, and legal advisors who are well-versed in the complexities of sexual abuse trauma. Together, they provide individual and group counseling, crisis intervention, trauma-informed therapy, and legal advocacy to survivors seeking justice.
The organization has successfully established partnerships with local law enforcement agencies, hospitals, and judicial systems to ensure that survivors receive the comprehensive care and support they deserve. Janet with her own experience knows that the road to recovery can be daunting, so she has implemented a 24/7 helpline dedicated only to survivors where they can receive immediate assistance, guidance, and resources that is free, easily accessible, anonymous, and more so non-judgmental giving courage to those abused and their families to seek help without the stigmas attached to sexual abuse.
Janet is also serving on the survivor advisory board as of the Brave Movement known as the Survivor Advocates Globally Empowered (SAGE) helping to guide the vision and strategy of the movement. In this she Co-chairs on the regional leadership task force of East Africa in the African task force of the Brave Movement and her Organization is fore seeing the national Task force of Be Brave Uganda. Janet envisions a world where children get to be kids and every individual living a fair and just life free from sexual abuse traumas.

Dr. Mayesha Alam is vice president of research at FP Analytics where she oversees the research team and leads research development for clients and partners. She previously helped establish and served as deputy director of the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security, and has also worked with the United Nations, World Bank, Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, and various nongovernmental organizations. Dr. Alam is the author of two books, Women and Transitional Justice and, with Robert Egnell, Women and Gender Perspectives in the Military, as well as reports on conflict, climate change, health, and gender. Her commentary has appeared in the Washington Post, CNN, NPR, Newsweek, and elsewhere. A nonresident senior fellow of the United Nations University Centre for Policy Research, Dr. Alam has taught at Georgetown University and New York University, and holds a Ph.D. from Yale University.

Allison Carlson is the Executive Vice President of FP Analytics & Events at Foreign Policy. She oversees FPA’s cross-cutting research at the intersection of policy, technology, and global markets as well as Foreign Policy’s global dialogues and convenings. Prior to these roles, Carlson led FP Analytics’ energy and technology team for more than a decade, evaluating evolving climate and emissions policies and identifying opportunities for advanced technology deployment internationally. Before joining FP, she led the Latin America program for a boutique consulting firm assisting European companies on investing in emerging markets’ energy and financial sectors. Carlson has presented her work at a variety of international conferences and before the U.S. Senate. She is a graduate of the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies, where she received a master’s degree in international relations and international economics.

Leanne has extensive clinical, leadership and legal qualifications and experience, holding executive roles within the Department of Health Victoria, the Western Victoria Primary Health Network and most recently as CEO of national independent peak body Mental Health Australia. She has also undertaken policy leadership within government and policy advocacy from within the sector. Leanne has expertise as a non-executive Director including as a past Board Chair with Eating Disorders Victoria, a Deputy Chair of the Board of Tweddle Child and Family Centre and a Director of the Western Alliance academic Health Science Centre. She has been the CEO of the National Centre for Action on Child Sexual Abuse since December 2022.

Dr. Daniela Ligiero is the Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of Together for Girls, a global partnership working to end violence against children and adolescents, particularly sexual violence against girls. The partnership brings together multiple actors and sectors to advance prevention, healing and justice. Dr. Ligiero also serves on the Executive Committee of the Global Partnership to End Violence Against Children, and is a co-founder of the Brave Movement: a global survivor-led advocacy movement working to end childhood sexual violence. Before she joined Together for Girls, she served as the Vice President of Girls and Women’s Strategy at the UN Foundation and developed the foundation’s gender integration strategy. In addition, she spent over five years at the U.S. Department of State where she led the integration of gender issues into all foreign policy and investments in global health—working with over 70 countries and over 1 billion dollars in investments on issues like preventing gender-based violence and improving the sexual and reproductive health of girls and women. She helped develop the first ever International U.S. Government Strategy to End Gender-Based Violence. Dr. Ligiero also served in leadership roles at UNICEF, as Chief of HIV and then as Deputy Representative in the UNICEF Brazil Country Office. In addition, she has held positions at the World Bank and the US Senate, and has worked directly with survivors of sexual assault in a variety of settings. She is also a survivor of sexual violence herself, and has been speaking publicly about her story for the last decade. She earned her doctoral degree counseling psychology from University of Maryland, College Park, ranked the No. 1 program in the US. Dr. Ligiero is fluent in four languages: English, Portuguese, Spanish and French. Daniela lives with her husband and two daughters in Bethesda, MD.

Andrew Morley has been World Vision International President & CEO since 2019,  leading the organisation’s work across 100 countries with 35,000 staff. In 2022 he  became Chair of the Steering Committee for Humanitarian Response (SCHR), an  alliance of the world’s nine leading humanitarian organisations which promotes  greater accountability and impact of humanitarian actions. Andrew was previously  CEO of Clear Channel Advertising UK, a Global Trustee at Christian Aid, and held  senior/CEO positions in Google Mobility Motorola Mobile, Sky Television, Cable and  Wireless, Harrods Group and Ford. Andrew is an ordained minister in the Anglican  Church and is a Vicar at Holy Trinity Brompton in London.

Prior to the current position, she was Director, Child Protection in Emergency and Pornography (2019-2020), Deputy Director, Handling of Human Trafficking Victims (2018-2019), Deputy Director, Gender in Science and Technology (2015-2018), Deputy Director, Gender in Environment (2014-2015) and Head of Foreign Affairs Division (2008-2013). As an officer of Indonesian policy-making and coordinating agency, she has been assisting and advocating the policy making processes both at national and sub-national levels in the area of child protection from violence and exploitation, child friendly city initiatives, and gender justice in environment, infrastructures, technology and poverty alleviation through capacity building to the line ministries and sub-national officers, including law enforcers. One of her achievements is the development of gender disaggregated data and guidelines for local government in integrating gender issues into vulnerability assessment, climate resilience strategy and development planning and budgeting at provincial and district levels. Her most recent work is the Inter-Sectors Protocols to respond on the needs of Child Protection during Covid19 Pandemic and Guidelines on the Development of Child Friendly Villages.