Bumble launches Bloom, free online sexual trauma support for app users

MANILA, Philippines – Bumble, the global women-first dating and networking app, has always been about making online dating safer and more comfortable for women, and it continues to do so with its new partnership with Bloom, a survivor-led, nonprofit organization that offers complimentary sexual trauma support for users on the app.

Users within the Bumble community will now be able to report any cases of sexual assault or relationship abuse to the app’s feedback team and will be given “immediate assistance through Bloom’s support specifically for Bumble.”

Once the incident has been reported through the app, the user will receive a code to access Bloom’s customized support for Bumble for free. This includes three self-guided courses: Healing from Sexual Trauma; Society, Patriarchy, and Sexual Trauma; and Dating, Boundaries, and Relationships.

In special cases, users may also be able to receive access to one-on-one chat support with Bloom’s trauma-informed team, as well as up to six therapy sessions, in line with Bumble’s belief that mental health support is crucial in helping sexual assault and abuse survivors recover from interpersonal trauma.

Bloom is currently available in the English and Spanish languages, and will soon be available in French, Portuguese, Urdu, and Hindi later this year.

Safety is always first

Bumble’s partnership with Bloom is very much aligned with its mission from day one – to provide safety to the members, which also means “creating a space for survivors within their community to be seen, heard, and believed.”

Part of supporting its members’ experiences of safety is also helping them “heal from trauma” caused by emotional abuse, which is the most common experience Bumble users have reported so far globally.

According to Bumble’s findings, emotional abuse happens equally online and in-person; however, in-person abuse is apparently reported less often. For those who don’t report their experiences, more than one in three respondents (35%) said they did not do so “because they didn’t think it would achieve anything,” while 15% of respondents thought they wouldn’t be believed.

“Where there is trauma, there is room for healing. Feedback from our course participants shows that Bloom supports survivors to feel less alone and make progress along their healing journey in whatever way works for them,” Hera Hussain, founder of Chayn, said. Bloom is run by mother company Chayn, which is also a nonprofit addressing gender-based violence through online intersectional resources.

Users will always remain anonymous whenever they report an incident, thanks to Bloom’s end-to-end encryption that enables secure conversations and holding in-person group therapy online without having to disclose one’s identity.

After Bumble refers someone to Bloom, the dating app will not have access to any information the individual shares with the nonprofit. Privacy is very important to both the apps and their users. – Rappler.com