If you’ve ever used the widely-popular dating app, Bumble, you know that it’s the woman who makes the first move when it comes to her online matches. And according to a recent nationwide study by this women-led dating app, 83 per cent of the Indian women surveyed have experience some form of online harassment or another. The study also found that one in three women experience it weekly. A further analysis of the study found that a further 70 per cent of women believe that since the lockdown was first announced in 2020, cases of cyberbullying have increased. If that’s not all, 59 per cent of women said they feel unsafe while 48 per cent claimed to feel angry.
With this in mind, the dating app has also launched their new initiative ‘Stand for Safety’ as part of its undertaking to create a safer, sympathetic, and respectful internet. And in light of various safety concerns, the company is partnering with Safecity, the flagship public safety platform by the Red Dot Foundation, in an attempt to empower women in India, and help them identify, stop, and fight rising cases of digital abuse.
In a statement to the press, Priti Joshi, VP of Global Strategy & Operations, Bumble, said, “Through Bumble’s Stands for Safety initiative, we hope to equip and empower women in India with crucial information to understand and recognise, prevent and fight digital abuse. We are happy to collaborate with Safecity who has been doing incredible work on creating safer spaces for women worldwide. We will continue to demonstrate our commitment to creating safer, healthy relationships on our platform and in our communities.”
Commenting on the collaboration, ElsaMarie D’Silva, Founder, Red Dot Foundation, said, “We are excited to partner with Bumble and create awareness on digital rights and online safety. Many women are silenced and intimidated in online spaces due to harassment and bullying directed towards them. Today's environment requires everyone to be comfortable and knowledgeable when accessing and utilising digital spaces for various aspects of life. We hope our safety guide will help them navigate these spaces safely and confidently.”
*Image used for representational purposes only