Bumble Launches Partnership with National Domestic Violence Hotline

Dating app Bumble has announced it will donate a “high six-figure commitment” to the National Domestic Violence Hotline’s new “love is respect” initiative, which aims to empower young people to end abusive relationships. According to news site Built in Austin, the partnership will continue for a three-year period, building on the $100,000 donation Bumble made to the organization back in March. 

When the pandemic progressed and stay at home orders went into effect, many women were placed at risk, because they were essentially trapped with their abusers. Domestic violence is a problem in the U.S., where guns are pervasive and far too often women are the victims in domestic assaults.

Bumble hopes to bring more attention to this issue, which has grown in the wake of the coronavirus. From March to May, the NDVH reported a 9% increase in the total number of calls received, with about 10% of the callers mentioning coronavirus during their conversation.

Individuals calling the hotline reported not being able to remove abusers from their homes because of a number of reasons, including courts being closed, callers being unable to access therapy, and abusers exploiting the threat of the virus to prevent them from leaving.

Digital abuse has more than doubled compared with 2019, with more people texting and using social media to stalk, harass, or otherwise intimidate their partners. The NDVH says that domestic violence can be physical, sexual, emotional, financial or verbal in nature, in addition to what some might understand as abusive behavior. 

Bumble’s mission is to empower women – and this is another way the dating app is stepping up to call attention to the problems women face, whether in a domestic partnership or single and dating. Last year, the company advocated for Texas House Bill 2789, making sending lude photos without consent a Class C misdemeanor — punishable by a fine of up to $500. It was passed by the Texas legislature, and now Bumble CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd hopes that this sets a framework that other states can use to craft this type of legislation.

Bumble is also working with the Southern Poverty Law Center on a new report about extremism and domestic violence in America, which they plan to release this year, according to Built in Austin.

As far as the Bumble app goes, the company has created a “zero tolerance” harassment policy for users of its app, so that they can feel free to anonymously report abusers on the app and have them removed. 

Both Bumble headquarters and the NDVH are based in Austin, Texas. For more on this dating app you can read our Bumble review.