Bumble offers rare traumatic support to survivors of sexual assault

In rare move for dating app industry, Bumble partners with remote trauma support site Flowering offer additional services to users.

Bloom offers free online courses by and for survivors of sexual assault and harassment on mental health topics such as creating boundaries and managing anxiety. Chayn, a UK-based non-profit organization, created the project as part of its mission to provide resources and support to survivors of gender-based violence.

The service, which will begin later this year, will be available to survivors of assault or abuse who have encountered their abuser on the app. Bumble plans to expand the program to include people who have been assaulted, regardless of where they encountered their abuser.

Whereas dating apps including Bumble have been accused of being slow to block attackers on their sites in the past, this unique offer is a great step forward. Dating app abusers have led to online and in-person harassment for dating app users.

Dating app abusers have led to online and in-person harassment for dating app users.

In addition to access to Bloom’s library, Bumble users can receive up to six therapy sessions and one-on-one chat support. If a user reports assault or relationship abuse to the Bumble Feedback Team, they will receive a code for a free version of Bloom designed specifically for app members.

The Bloom team includes therapists experienced in dealing with trauma as well as other members who have worked with survivors in support, many of whom are survivors themselves, said Chayn founder Hera Hussain.

“While being a survivor does not make someone an expert in all aspects of trauma and abuse,” Hussain noted, “we believe that having experienced sexual abuse and violence within our team adds further depths of empathy and shared understanding to our work. “

Hussain acknowledged that dating after sexual assault can be difficult. After suffering a trauma, one can lose confidence in people and feel uncomfortable in situations that arise during a meeting. Dealing with trauma can be isolating and exhausting without access to therapy, but with the right support, healing is possible.

Bloom courses are designed to give participants practical tools, Hussain said. She hopes Bumble’s initiative will set the standard for the online dating industry and beyond.

Bumble has worked to address harassment on the app in the past. In January, for example, Bumble banned fatphobic messages and body shame. This too dating fetish awareness through a campaign earlier this year.

Other apps have also added tools to stop bad actors. An example is Tinder’s recent Are You Sure? functionality, which uses AI to detect potentially dangerous messages and intervene with a warning. Any further, Tinder is working on adding background checks for an additional cost.

The personalized Bumble and Bloom program will initially be available in English and Spanish, followed by French, Hindi, Arabic and Urdu next year. In the future, the company also plans to offer these services to users of Badoo, another dating app owned by Bumble.