We are honoured to recognise Janet Aguti, Founder and Director of the Totya Platform, as the Child Safeguarding Champion of the Year. Janet has transformed her personal experience as a survivor of sexual abuse into a powerful force for change, working to increase awareness and put real help into action to protect children in her community from abuse.
Totya (which translates as ‘Don’t be afraid’) was founded with the vision of creating a future where every child can recognise violence and knows that they have the right to be safe, supported, and heard. Janet’s approach challenges stigma and victim-blaming, while empowering children to speak up and seek help.
To this date, the platform that Janet created has supported more than 5,000 survivors – most of them children – and provided over 1,000 with urgent medical care. Totya is Uganda’s only toll-free sexual violence survivor helpline, vital for all children and specially those who live in remote areas
By developing partnerships with the police and legal professionals, the organisation has contributed to more than 500 convictions, sending a clear message that impunity for sexual violence will not be tolerated.
We want to congratulate Janet on her courage, vision and dedication to keeping children safe.