TikTok and CABC Host Safety Roundtables to Protect Women From Online Gender-Based Violence

Across Africa, women working in media and those building careers as online creators face a digital landscape that is both a lifeline and a battlefield. While online platforms provide opportunities to share stories, connect with audiences, and shape culture, they also expose women to online harassment.

Behind the stories they tell and the platforms they build, women face threats that range from targeted gender-based abuse to dangers that can silence voices before they are heard.

 

To confront this growing challenge, TikTok, in partnership with the Centre for Analytics and Behavioural Change (CABC), convened a series of Women in Media Safety Roundtables in Lagos and Abuja. The sessions created rare spaces where journalists, creators, civil society leaders, and regulators came together not just to talk about policies, but to share lived realities.

“Online violence doesn’t end when you log off, it follows women into their homes, their workplaces, their mental health,” said one participant, who will not be named for security reasons. “That’s why safe digital spaces aren’t optional, they’re necessary for our survival and our freedom to speak.”

Kim Thipe, Executive Director of CABC, echoed that sentiment.

“Addressing issues such as tech-facilitated gender-based violence requires more than just policies; it demands deep listening, data-driven insights, and collaboration across sectors. Through these workshops, we’re bringing together the lived experiences of women in media with research-backed strategies to co-create safer digital environments. We are pleased to partner with TikTok in this important initiative that places community voices and local context at the center of online safety.”

For TikTok, the roundtables mark a step toward ensuring that its vast platform, home to millions of African creators, can be a place of expression rather than intimidation.

”At TikTok, we believe that to truly understand our local community, we must first understand their world. We recognize the diversity of our global community and the importance of understanding what helps them feel safe so they are empowered to have their best experience,” said Duduzile Mkhize, TikTok Outreach & Partnerships Manager, Sub-Saharan Africa. “As we learn more, we do more,” Mkhize added. “We value the participation of the Nigerian media industry in helping us create a safe and creative platform; not just for content creators, but for all users.”

The roundtables are not just conversations; they are opportunities to reshape digital spaces into safer, more inclusive environments. By bringing together those on the frontlines of tackling gender-based violence, including civil society organizations, community leaders, journalists, and survivors, TikTok is ensuring that interventions are rooted in lived realities.

By opening this dialogue, TikTok continues to strengthen its safety efforts in Nigeria and across Sub-Saharan Africa, while also raising awareness of its existing tools and resources. Most importantly, these conversations aim to build lasting trust and partnerships that empower women and marginalised communities to speak freely, participate fully, and thrive online without fear.

Dr. Abiodun Essiet, Senior Special Assistant to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Community Engagement (North Central), calling the initiative “a democratic imperative.”

“We commend TikTok’s proactive engagement with professionals in the media space as well as creators, through these Safety Roundtables,”

Tackling tech-facilitated gender-based violence requires a united front, and we welcome TikTok’s commitment to working alongside government, civil society, and industry to build safer digital spaces. Empowering women to participate fully and safely in media is not just a digital issue; it is a democratic imperative.”

The Women in Media Safety Roundtables represent a tangible step in TikTok’s broader mission to foster a safer, more inclusive environment. Through open dialogue, shared insights, and actionable solutions, TikTok is reaffirming its commitment to building a platform that uplifts and protects its diverse communities.

“At TikTok, safety is at the heart of everything we do. These roundtables are about listening to people with lived experiences, learning from local communities, and building solutions together. Because creating safe spaces online isn’t just about technology, it’s about humanity,” concluded Mkhize.