Sexual harassment awareness campaign to spread message through Tinder dating app

If you’re on Tinder, you might see some new messages from the State Government pop up.

Users of the dating app Tinder are the target of a new campaign urging them to recognise sexual assault and predatory behaviour “for what it is”.

The State Government advertisements, launched Thursday, focus on situations where unacceptable behaviour is dismissed or trivialised, such as harassment being labelled “just a bit of fun” or sharing photos without consent.

The almost $50,000 campaign will also run on other social media platforms and radio ahead of the festive season.

The new campaign about sexual violence by the SA Government will feature on the dating app Tinder.

Human Services Minister Michelle Lensink said the “See it for what it is, Stop Sexual Violence” campaign sent “a strong and unmistakable message that violence against women will not be ignored or overlooked and attitudes condoning it must change”.

A recent survey conducted for White Ribbon Australia found only six in 10 people aged 18 to 34 viewed non-consensual sexual activity as a type of domestic violence.

An ABC investigation also found hundreds of people had reported experiencing harassment on dating apps – the majority on Tinder – and predators had used design features which enabled them to disappear from a victim’s profile to avoid being reported. Dating app use has soared as Australians experienced the loneliness of COVID-19 isolation.

Lockdowns that have kept families in their homes have also highlighted the prevalence of abuse behind closed doors. New research by UniSA will examine the long-term effect on children who are victims of, or witness, family violence.

The study will involve 200-plus people aged 18 to 30 who grew up in domestic violence “to identify what has helped them form healthy relationships as adults”.

“Many people assume that these children have a greater risk of becoming abusers or victims of abuse themselves,” lead researcher Dr Fiona Buchanan said.

“We cannot afford to let domestic violence continue across generations. If we are to help children to reject domestic violence, we need to know the pathways that help them choose and forge healthy relationships later.”

Other findings released yesterday warn that women who have “fought back” physically against abusers are “at greater risk of being misidentified as a perpetrator” of abuse by authorities.

A paper by national research body ANROWS makes recommendations on how police and the courts can “better identify and respond to the person most in need of protection” when making domestic violence orders.

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