Child safeguarding starts with you: celebrating Dorcas Amakobe, Child Safeguarding Champion of the Year 2024

Dorcas has shown remarkable leadership in safeguarding adolescent girls, ensuring their safety and wellbeing both on and off the football pitch. She is a development expert and a member of the pioneer team that established safe practices at Moving The Goalposts, a unique sport-for-development organisation that works with over 9,000 girls every year.

Dorcas developed a comprehensive safeguarding policy for her organisation, integrating child safeguarding into all aspects of their work and at the community level. She trained both staff and girls on reporting mechanisms, and worked closely with law enforcement to ensure justice for victims of abuse.

Moving The Goalposts helps women to emancipate through football. 

When asked why child safeguarding is important to her, Dorcas said: ‘Child safeguarding has the power to influence the custodians of our future generation. It secures a generation that will break the cycle of harm and bring about a culture of positive experiences for children.‘ 

Her journey with Moving The Goalposts is a testament to her dedication to building systems that protect children from abuse. Dorcas takes pride in institutionalising safeguarding measures and actively involving children in these processes.

‘We have been intentional about embedding the voice of children in our safeguarding systems. They hold us accountable and we have provided them with the confidence to take action.‘

For Dorcas, winning this award is a deeply personal achievement: ‘This award means the world to me. It reflects my childhood experience where my grandmother provided the best safeguards. She ensured we had the freedom to express ourselves and pursue our dreams. I strive to offer the same safety to the children we work with.‘

Her advice to child safeguarding practitioners: ‘Child safeguarding starts with you. Be a role model, collaborate with others and always involve children in decisions that impact them. The return on investment is immense when we protect children.‘

We congratulate Dorcas on her outstanding achievements and her role as a global leader in child safeguarding. Her work is a shining example of the power of dedication and collective action. 

Special Mention: Yeshiwas Emiru Shana’s child safeguarding work in Africa 

Yeshiwas Emiru Shana, runner-up for this year’s Child Safeguarding Champion of the Year Award, has over 11 years of experience in safeguarding, disability inclusion, gender-based violence prevention and Protection from Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Harassment (PSEAH). His work with organisations like Plan International and UNICEF has focused on developing child safeguarding policies, establishing reporting mechanisms and training staff to protect children from abuse. In Ethiopia and Papua New Guinea, Yeshiwas has been instrumental in building capacity and raising awareness on child safeguarding. 

Yeshiwas commitment goes beyond policy implementation, as he actively engages with local communities, conducting educational workshops for children and developing child-friendly reporting mechanisms that empower children to report abuse safely and confidentially. As a certified global PSEAH and safeguarding trainer, he has led numerous trainings and investigations to implement comprehensive safeguarding frameworks aligned with global standards.

Congratulations Yeshiwas, and thank you for continuing to create safer environments for children and inspire change!