As part of its mission in giving people the power to build community and bring the world closer together, the training and workshop sessions were centered around creating an open dialogue about online safety, while highlighting the tools available to ensure people feel welcome, empowered, and safe when using the platform.

As part of Facebook’s aim to provide a positive contribution to the African Internet eco-system, the team worked with a number of organisations including local governments, policy makers, and civil society to co-host selected events in both Zimbabwe and South Africa.

"We want everyone to feel safe when using Facebook," says Emilar Gandhi, public policy manager for Southern Africa, Facebook. "As an open platform for ideas, and a place where self-expression, connection, and sharing is encouraged, safety is at the centre of how we build our products. Protecting the privacy and safety of the people who use Facebook is at the heart of everything we do, and that is why this Safety Tour is so important to us – not only to educate on the tools that we have in place, but to create open conversations."

The Africa Safety Tour included the following events:
  • Safety Symposium (Johannesburg, South Africa) – Local stakeholders gathered on Thursday, 14 September to discuss online safety concerns, as well as Facebook tools and resources, to keep people, especially teens and adults, safe online;
  • Empowering the LGBTIQ community (Johannesburg, South Africa) – On Thursday, 14 September, a number of partner organisations co-hosted the event with a non-profit organisation and focused on the LGBTIQ community. The roundtable provided a space to explore issues related to sexual orientation, gender identity, and online safety; 
  • Safety Roundtable (Harare, Zimbabwe) – Meeting with Zimbabwean policymakers, the session took place on Friday, 15 September and discussed how to drive awareness of online safety among the youth in Zimbabwe;
  • Facebook Safety for Journalists (Zimbabwe) 15 September – Co-organised with a media NGO on Friday, 15 September, the discussion and training session on safety for journalists in Harare explored issues relevant to journalists in the country, with a special focus as part of the day on women journalists;
  • Safety Open House (Cape Town, South Africa) – Co-hosted with a local crime prevention policy group, the event, which took place on Wednesday, 20 September, aimed to create on open forum discussing online safety; and
  • Women’s Luncheon (Cape Town, South Africa) – The luncheon, which took place on Wednesday, 20 September, brought together influential women to explore issues relating to women’s online safety as well as to learn from the community. 
For more information, visit www.facebook.com.