Partnership addresses language gap in online safety for women and girls
Lomé, Togo — Brain Builders Youth Development Initiative (BBYDI), in partnership with Meedan, a global technology non-profit, has launched a six-month initiative to address Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence (TFGBV) in Togo by closing one of the most overlooked gaps in online safety: language.
Through the collaboration, Meedan’s Check tipline, a Facebook Messenger-based reporting tool, is being activated to enable communities in Togo to report harmful online content, with a dedicated focus on TFGBV cases circulating in French. The initiative will support community members to document and report abuse, strengthen visibility of emerging TFGBV trends, and improve accountability for online spaces where women and girls are increasingly targeted.
Why Language Justice Matters for Online Safety
Across many digital platforms, content moderation and enforcement often work better in dominant global languages, leaving local and non-English content more vulnerable to under-detection, delayed action, or inconsistent responses. In Togo, French dominates online communication and is frequently used in harmful content, harassment, threats, and gender-based attacks that can go unreported or unaddressed. By prioritising French-language TFGBV reporting, this initiative aims to surface overlooked abuse, document patterns and typologies of harm, and strengthen evidence that can inform responses by civil society, platforms, and relevant stakeholders. “Language remains one of the biggest blind spots in online safety systems,” said Nurah Jimoh-Sanni, Executive Director at Brain Builders Youth Development Initiative. “French is central to how people communicate online in Togo, yet abuse shared in French can be harder to detect and act on at scale. By enabling community-led reporting through the Check tipline, we are building a clearer picture of what TFGBV looks like in this context and what real protection should involve.”How the Public Can Support the Initiative
BBYDI encourages anyone who encounters French-language TFGBV content on platforms such as WhatsApp, Facebook, TikTok, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, or other digital spaces to submit a report through the Check tipline. Reports can include screenshots, links, or brief descriptions of the content. To help protect survivors and prevent further harm, the organisation advises the public to avoid sharing abusive content publicly or engaging perpetrators directly. Instead, report the content through the tipline and, where necessary, seek professional support services.How to Submit a Report
- Open the Check tipline via Facebook Messenger: Messenger
- Share screenshots, links, or a description of the harmful content
- Submit without including personal details you do not want to share
- Reports will be handled confidentially