The theme for International Women’s Day 2025 is “Accelerate Action for Gender Equality”. It’s a call to celebrate and support women’s advancement regardless of their industry and field of work. This year at The Safety Chic, we are celebrating all the amazing women working in different roles across the child safety and child protection ecosystem. These women are leading organizations, creating programs and products, training others, and advocating for policy change in their respective countries. This list is not ranked in any particular order, and it is not exhaustive, but these are a few stunning examples we found around the world.
Dear Women in Child Safety and Child Protection, today, we celebrate the steps you are taking to ensure child safety and the reduction of unintentional injuries affecting children. We hope you meet someone new on this list and find opportunities to work together because collaboration is key in amplifying child safety around the world.
But first, take your flowers.
Happy International Women’s Day!
30 Women in Child Safety and Child Protection
- Torine Creppy
Torine Creppy is the president of Safe Kids Worldwide, a global nonprofit that works to prevent injuries in children. She has worked at Safe Kids Worldwide for over 25 years, since 1999, where her previous positions have included Chief of Staff, Operations Manager, and HR Manager. She works with legislators, donors, community leaders, and partners to develop strategies to keep children safe. She is also an advocate on Capitol Hill and focuses on issues like child safety in automated vehicles.
- Bola Tinubu
Bola Tinubu is the founder of The Cece Yara Child Advocacy Centre, an award-winning non-profit organization that provides free legal, medical, and psycho-social services for children who have suffered sexual and other forms of abuse. The Organization also operates Nigeria’s only 24-hour free Child Helpline. She hopes to create a future in which every child will access quality mental and physical health care, support, and justice, free from further exploitation, and to mainstream child forensic interviewing in Nigeria to increase conviction rates of perpetrators, which is critical to ending child sexual abuse.
- Ugochi Obidiegwu
Ugochi Obidiegwu is the founder of The Safety Chic, a child safety social enterprise developing interactive, African-inspired safety education resources to reduce unintentional injury in children. She is the author of several child safety storybooks, the most recent of which is the “ABCs of Safety”. She is a co-creator of a COVID-19 online safety game for children and creator of a child safety game app. Her work in child safety has been recommended as good practice for member countries of the European Network for Education and Training in Occupational Safety and Health (ENETOSH). She has shared her expertise with safety professionals at several global safety events on 5 continents. In 2023, her research on strategies for safety education titled “The Public Health Epidemic of Childhood Injury: Why Classroom Instruction Offers a Path Forward” was published in the NYU Wagner Review.
- Holly-ann Martin
Holly-ann Martin is the founder and Managing Director of Safe4Kids. Her experience spans twenty-five years with the Western Australian Department of Education and Training (DET) in a variety of school settings. Holly-ann’s unique approach to child protection education is underpinned by a whole community focus. This focus is centered around providing safer communities for children through engaging school staff, parents and carers, and other community members. Holly-ann’s emphasis centers on developing a language and culture of safety for children and adults alike, improving communication, and highlighting and broadening the networks available to children when they are feeling unsafe.
- Michele Gay
Michele Gay is a mother, educator, and co-founder of Safe and Sound Schools. Michele Gay chose to take action after losing her daughter, Josephine Grace, on December 14, 2012. Since that time, Michele has channeled her work as an advocate, improving safety and security in schools and communities across her country. Michele reaches audiences and consults with all levels of community institutions — schools, municipalities, houses of worship, educational and public safety leadership, state and federal governments, law enforcement agencies, and top news media sources. Through her work, and always intending to help others increase the safety within their own communities, she shares her personal experiences and the lessons she has learned.
- Dr. Ulrike Bollmann
Dr. Ulrike Bollmann is the founder and coordinator of the European Network of Education and Training in Occupational Safety and Health (ENETOSH) since 2005. She has over 20 years of experience in the field of mainstreaming occupational safety and health into educational settings. She is the author of publications on mainstreaming OSH into education and is an advocate for promoting a culture of injury prevention by amplifying good practices around the world.
- Kayelene Kerr
Kayelene Kerr is the founder of eSafeKids. She is recognized as one of Australia’s most experienced specialist providers of Protective Behaviours, Body Safety, Cyber Safety, Digital Wellness, and Pornography education workshops. Kayelene draws on over 27 years of experience, combining her Bachelor of Arts in Justice Studies (Law, Psychology & Criminology) with over 20 years of law enforcement experience. Kayelene delivers engaging and sought-after prevention education workshops to educate, equip, and empower children and young people and to help support parents, carers, educators, and other professionals. Kayelene believes that protecting children from harm is a shared responsibility, and she aims to inspire the trusted adults in children’s lives to tackle challenging topics.
- Dr. Bisi Esuruoso
Dr. Bisi Esuruoso is the Project Lead, Safe Schools Lagos, and a former Special Adviser on Education, Science, and Technology for the immediate past Government of Oyo State. She is the founder of SchoolRun Academy. She is a diligent educator who exhibits great passion for developing sustainable education solutions in Africa. Bisi was recognized 24 years ago in the United Kingdom by the then British Prime Minister, Mr. Tony Blair, for Excellence in Childcare while she was running 5 childcare centers, all founded by her.
- Trista Hamsmith
Trista Hamsmith is the founder of Reese’s Purpose, a non-profit with the goal of protecting children from hidden dangers and threats to their safety. Her primary focus is to raise awareness of the dangers of button batteries and to advocate for legislative action to prevent other families from suffering due to accidental button battery ingestion. After the tragic loss of her daughter, Reese, Trista channeled her grief into action, championing the passage of Reese’s Law, which strengthens safety standards for button batteries. Under her leadership, Reese’s Purpose funds the development of life-saving medical devices, collaborates with companies to bring safer products to market, and provides resources to families affected by product-related injuries.
- Ifechukwu Enweani-Obioha
Ifechukwu Enweani-Obioha is the founder of Kiddiesdom and the convener of For the Love of Children, a child safety awareness programme. She is passionate about creating a society where children feel safe and valued. She is also committed to minimising avoidable school accidents via providing Health & Safety Training for educators, Safety Audit & Consultations for schools.
- Dr. Chimdindu Uguwanyi
Chimdindu Ugwuanyi is a medical doctor who is passionate about children. Her goal is to keep innovating different health strategies to help children in sub-Saharan Africa grow wholesomely. Speakout Africa is an organization she founded, which is dedicated to preventing and protecting children from being sexually abused. She has led social media campaigns that have helped enlighten and help victims. These campaigns have also helped parents to know how to protect their children. She is the author of “My Body Safety Storybook”, which is an introduction to body safety education with a song, games, and activities.
- Barbara Grimm
Barbara Grimm has dedicated 15 years to the field of education, holding a degree in Organizational Behavior and Applied Psychology. Her extensive experience primarily focuses on special education, especially within the multidisciplinary education framework. Ms. Grimm’s distinctive blend of knowledge in health, wellness, 911 dispatching, and emergency services fuels her commitment to assisting students in crises. Her enthusiasm for fostering relationships between students and staff during critical moments resulted in the creation of the School Responder app.
- Bolanle Edwards
Bolanle Edwards is the founder of the Strap and Safe Child Foundation. Bola, as she’s fondly called, came across some alarming statistics in 2009 on child safety, which triggered the birth of her foundation. She is a diehard child safety advocate and works in tandem with the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), Coalition for Road Safety, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Information, Coalition for Road Safety of Nigeria (CORSAN), Ministry of Transportation, Lagos State Safety Commission.
- Maria Cruz Arenas
Maria Cruz Arenas is the project Manager of the Technological Institute for Children’s Products and Leisure (AIJU). She has been a researcher on the risk assessment of children’s products since 2003. She is also a manager of research projects at the national and European levels. In recent years, her activities have been mainly focused on the development of innovative educational projects on children’s product safety for consumers, industry, and authorities.
- Krystle Hodge
Krystle Hodge is an experienced safety professional who has worked in both public and private industry. Having worked with both adults and children, Krystle recognizes the importance how of setting the foundation of safety at an early age influences mindsets around safety behaviors. For this reason, SafetyKay LLC was developed to provide resources and safety products to improve critical safety skills for children For this reason, SafetyKay LLC was developed to provide resources and safety products to improve critical safety skills for children. Krystle believes that when safety is a priority, children can feel secure, healthy, and more confident. She also shares safety tips on her YouTube channel, Safety Kay.
- Missy Dodds
Missy Dodds is a Survivor of the Red Lake High School Shooting, Safe and Sound Schools Outreach and Training Specialist, and School Safety and Mental Health Advocate. In 2018, Missy joined Safe and Sound Schools as a National Parent Ambassador and now serves as a regular speaker and trainer for the national school safety non-profit. In 2022, Missy received the Outstanding Service Award from the Mu Chapter of Delta Kappa Gamma for her work in school safety. She also serves as a parent representative for her local school district’s Emergency Operation Planning Committee and on her local Boys and Girls Club’s Program and Safety Committee.
- Dr. Savahanna Wagner
Dr. Savannah Wagner is a physician with 19 years of experience in EMS, disaster medicine, emergency preparedness, and training. After the Uvalde tragedy brought school safety to the forefront, Dr. Wagner knew that she wanted to use her decades of experience and unique skill set to help make schools safer; Rescue in Color was born. Rescue in Color is an intuitive, color-coded bleeding control kit that magnetically hangs from metal surfaces for easy visibility in classrooms, school buses, factories, and businesses.
- Ju’Riese Colon
Ju’Riese Colón is the Chief Executive Officer of the U.S. Center for SafeSport. Before her Center tenure, Ju’Riese served as National Vice President of Child & Club Safety for the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, developing and leading the child safety policies and initiatives for over 1,100 U.S. Boys & Girls Clubs organizations and nearly 4,300 Boys & Girls Club locations. An experienced child advocate who serves as an expert on issues related to child safety, Ju’Riese has led prevention and outreach initiatives with youth-serving organizations serving families, educators, law enforcement, and diverse communities.
- Nkeiruka Orajiaka
Dr. Nkeiruka Orajiaka is a Board Certified Pediatrician practicing emergency medicine and mum of 3 sharing pediatric educational content for all little ones, kids’ ER tips, and first-aid tips for kids in a fun, easy-to-remember way. She leverages Instagram and YouTube to create memorable and educational safety content.
- Michele Rickett
Michele Rickett is a Visionary leader with 25 years of leadership in the U.S. and overseas, equipping people toward dignity, purpose, and freedom in becoming all God created them to be, learning together to serve Him and others. She founded She is Safe to prevent, rescue, and restore as many girls and women as possible from abuse and slavery.
- Cerri Dando-Thompson
Cerri Dando-Thompson is currently an Interim Service Head and Senior Consultant for the Child Protection in Sport Unit at NSPCC with a demonstrated history of working in the higher education industry, safeguarding and welfare of children in sport. She holds a Master of Sports Development & Coaching in Contemporary Issues in Sport and Physical Education.
- Olabisi Afolabi
Olabisi Afolabi is a Lawyer with close to a decade of career experience in Social Development. She creates solutions in Safeguarding, Child Protection, and Education. Her mission is to enlighten stakeholders, national and international organizations, and the public about the rights and protection of children.
- Dr. Sadiqa Kendi
Dr. Sadiqa Kendi is a leader in the field of child injury prevention. She is the Chief Medical Officer for Safe Kids Worldwide. She is also the Associate Division Chief of Academic Affairs and Research for the Division of Emergency Medicine at Children’s National Hospital in Washington, D.C. She is a strong advocate for public policies that save lives and works with families to protect children from injuries.
- Omotayo Mala-Adebayo
Omotayo Mala-Adebayo is a certified Child Safeguarding Specialist who is consistently advocating for the rights of women and children. She is the founder of the Haven Initiative for Women and Children Development, an NGO supporting children in the Abebi Community, Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria. She is a Child Rights Ambassador, a leader in the Child Protection Network, and President of the Network for the Defence of Child Rights.
- Claire Szanyi Smith
Claire Szanyi Smith is the President of Saving Northern Virginia’s Littles. She is also a Child Passenger Safety Technician and Instructor for Safe Kids Worldwide – a global nonprofit dedicated to protecting kids from preventable injuries, which is the number one cause of death to children in the United States. She is also a child passenger safety advocate for Joie baby products.
- Oluwatosin Akingbulu
Oluwatosin Akingbulu has a background in advocacy, communication, and working in humanitarian emergencies at national and global levels within the United Nations. This experience spans leading global advocacy on mental health and parenting at UNICEF, coordinating top-tier advocacy moments during the United Nations General Assembly, contributing to successful resource mobilization for parenting support, and working with several communication project teams across multiple countries.
- Anna Jassem
Anna Jassem is the Deputy Head of the European Commission’s Nurseries & Kindergartens Unit. She has been working at the European Commission since 2005, with a focus on public health and consumer protection issues. Her professional interests include health and consumer protection, evidence-based policymaking, and promoting well-being in the workplace.
- Oluwaseun Kolawole
Oluwaseun Kolawole is an impact-driven peace-builder committed to making peace-building relatable and actionable through peace education and advocacy. Her focus is on empowering people with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary to resolve conflicts nonviolently. As the Founder of Peace Shapers, Oluwaseun advocates for safe and peaceful schools in Africa, addressing issues like bullying, violence, and inadequate infrastructure. She collaborates with educational stakeholders to champion policies prioritizing student safety and well-being. Through Peace Shapers, Oluwaseun has been able to equip over 200 students on how to identify and tackle school violence.
- Tabatha Barron
Tabatha Barron is the founder of Keeping Your Kids Safe (KYKS). KYKS helps to keep your school out of the headlines by helping each student to effectively communicate their way home as they send real-time text messages to the families during the school dismissal process.
- Adejumoke Sangolana
Adejumoke Sangolana is the founder of Safekids Consult. She is driven by a profound sense of social responsibility and a commitment to safeguarding children in educational environments. The primary goal of this initiative is to instill a culture of safety within schools, prompting parents and educators to prioritize basic safety measures in both school and home settings. By enhancing staff knowledge and preparedness, the aim is to significantly reduce incidents involving childcare, particularly within school premises.
