Victims of abuse to be better supported by their community
Government launches campaign to help everyone know how to Respond to disclosures of abuse with people urged to "Listen.Believe.Support."
- Government launches campaign to help everyone know how to Respond to disclosures of abuse
- People urged to “Listen. Believe. Support.” as key part of Government’s ENOUGH campaign
- Crucial step on Government’s mission to halve violence against women and girls within a decade
Victims of abuse will be better supported by the wider community thanks to a new Government campaign which urges the public to “Listen, Believe and Support” when they are confided in.
The first moment when someone opens up about abuse is crucial and the response they get may determine what happens next - whether they go on to seek further help, report their experiences to police and begin to recover, or whether they feel dismissed, judged and never speak about it again.
Many victims of abuse choose to tell a family member or friend first, and young people aged 18-24 often share a disclosure of abuse with their peers.
The Respond campaign will help everyone know how to reply in that first moment, by offering tips including examples of supportive language to use and the signs to look out for that someone might be at risk.
Respond forms part of the cross-Government ENOUGH campaign which is designed to challenge perpetrators of VAWG, respond to victims and educate young people. ENOUGH reaches across all areas of society and aims to holistically tackle the attitudes and behaviours that lead to violence against women and girls.
Speaking at the campaign’s launch event, held at Bumble HQ, Minister for Victims, Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls and International Justice, Alex Davies-Jones, said:
Respond is designed to give friends, families – all of us – the confidence to know how to listen to, believe and support victims.
Because changing the culture isn’t only about the big policy decisions, it happens in millions of everyday moments. It’s in what we challenge, in what we refuse to laugh off and in how we respond when someone speaks out about what’s happened to them.
The campaign has launched videos and graphics designed to work across a range of settings and environments, as disclosures can happen anywhere. They are grounded in real-life stories and demonstrate what a good response to disclosure looks like. The assets tell audiences that ‘If someone discloses abuse, Listen. Believe. Support.’
A brand new Support Space on the ENOUGH campaign website provides a dedicated area for victims and survivors, and those supporting them, to access guidance, information and routes to specialist support.
Supporting the campaign at the launch, Elymae Cedeno, VP of Trust & Customer Experience at Bumble said:
Bumble is proud to host the launch of the Respond strand of the Enough campaign and to stand with the Ministry of Justice in supporting it. The first response to a disclosure of abuse can have a lasting impact, whether it comes from a friend or a platform. While we work to prevent harm before it happens, we know how critical it is to provide the right support when someone does come forward.
Our specialised teams are there to support with real-time updates on their report, complimentary trauma support through our partnership with Chayn, and a dedicated reporting channel for survivor charities. Bumble was built to be women-first, and we’ll continue working with the government, charities, experts, and industry to help women access support.
Please visit the launch website to find tips, information and advice from the campaign.
Further information
- This campaign builds on the work the Government is doing to halve violence against women and girls.
- The Government is injecting more than half a billion pounds into vital support services to help victims and witnesses through the justice process. This will see a £550 million investment over the next three years into specialist services that offer practical and emotional support to victims and witnesses, such as counselling and advice on attending court.
- Backed by a multi-million cash injection, every Crown Court in England and Wales will get at least one courtroom especially set up to hear rape and serious sexual offence cases over the next two years, helping to hold more perpetrators to account.
- The Challenge strand of the campaign launched in December 2025 and aims to drive public recognition of abusive behaviours, while encouraging reflection amongst those who may cause harm.
- Bumble Inc. is the parent company of Bumble, Badoo, and BFF. The Bumble platform brings people closer to love by enabling them to build healthy relationships. Founded in 2014 by Whitney Wolfe Herd, who serves as CEO, Bumble was one of the first dating apps built with women at the center and connects people across dating (Bumble Date) and friendship (BFF). Badoo, founded in 2006, was one of the pioneers of web and mobile dating products. BFF is a friendship app made to help you find your people.