Executive Director Nina Vaaranen-Valkonen invited to join the new INTERPOL Safeguarding Advisory Group

NEWS

Protect Children is delighted to announce that our Executive Director Nina Vaaranen-Valkonen has received a highly prestigious invitation to join the new Safeguarding Advisory Group established by the Crimes Against Children (CAC) Unit of INTERPOL. The group will meet for the first time in December 2025.

INTERPOL’s Safeguarding Initiative is a significant international effort designed to ensure that children’s rights and safety are prioritised across all of the organisation’s activities. The initiative complements and strengthens the existing Preventing the Cycle of Harm (PCH) programme by offering INTERPOL Member States clear guidance and practical tools to prevent revictimisation. 

The Safeguarding Advisory Group acts as an independent body responsible for providing strategic guidance and strengthening international cooperation to protect children, with a focus on developing best practices and harmonising them across INTERPOL Member States.

“It is an immense honour to be invited to join the Safeguarding Advisory Group. This invitation supports my ongoing work as Chair of the SGCAC Victim Services and Offender Management Sub-Group and is an important international recognition of our organisation's research-based, holistic work in preventing all sexual violence against children”, says Nina Vaaranen-Valkonen, Executive Director and Psychotherapist at Protect Children.

INTERPOL highlighted Vaaranen-Valkonen’s strong, internationally recognised expertise in child protection as the basis for her selection, noting the significant added value she brings to the group’s work. Her role as Executive Director is seen as a key factor in advancing new initiatives aimed at protecting children from revictimisation and ensuring the highest standards of child safeguarding.