US Non-Profit Suggests No Link Between Apps and Sexual Assault

2nd November 2018 Dominic Whitlock

The US Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN) has suggested there is not a correlation between the introduction of dating apps and the number of reported sexual assault cases.

Several authorities have accused dating apps of making it easier for people to connect with vulnerable singles, with the sole intention of assaulting them.

Specifically, police in Charlotte, North Carolina said there have been 20 assaults associated with dating apps in the city so far this year. This is an increase from the 15 that were reported in 2017.

The UK National Crime Agency also reported an increase in dating app related assaults in Scotland from 2015 to 2017.

However, RAINN argues that apps are not to blame, and that the perception should not be that they have made dating more dangerous. Their introduction has correlated with a fall in reports of sexual violence; in 1994 there were over 700,000 reported cases of sexual assault nationwide.

Since Match.com was launched in 1995, that figure decreased rapidly to under 500,000 in 2000. From 2004 to 2016 the number has consistently remained between 300,000 and 400,000.

Download.com spoke to woman called Adrena, who said she feels more comfortable meeting someone through an app because of the opportunity to openly communicate with them beforehand.

Match Group has partnered with RAINN and the National Sexual Violence Resource Center to form a committee which works to protect its users from sexual abuse.

This came after the US and UK government issued advice on how to stay safe when meeting a stranger for a date and called for dating apps to do more to look after users.