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News & Knowledge » Recent TikTok Trend Allegedly Used To Trigger Widespread Rape On April 24th, 2021
A troubling new TikTok trend has sparked controversy and concern. This alleged hoax involves reference to April 24th as ‘National Rape Day’ – a day where rape is wrongfully asserted to be legal and encouraged.
The trend has rapidly spread through social media channels with #april24 receiving more than 31.1 million views and more than a thousand videos on the popular app as of April 21st 2021[1]. According to reports, the trend began in March this year when six men shared a video on TikTok encouraging others to sexually assault individuals on April 24th and even provided tips on how to achieve this.
The trend has triggered panic and shocked users, with individuals urging others to stay home on Saturday, while TikTok has asserted the rumors of a National Rape Day are unsubstantiated and no threats have been deemed credible. Facebook has also flagged the posts about the date as false information[2].
However, although these responses were likely used to deter users seeking to partake in the April 24th trend, the ordeal has nonetheless caused worry that others may be encouraged to follow the lead of those who have promoted such content. One student rightfully stated: “This puts me on edge regardless of it being a hoax, as I fear it may give people ideas. The fact that some men could be viewing this as a joke is almost as terrifying as if it were real.”
One such example of this encouragement includes the events surrounding Exeter University, where screenshots emerged of a message stating there was “a group chat of 100+ guys on campus [with] a plan to rape as many girls as they can before April 24th and with April 24th being the main day”.
The message also alleged “they have every girl’s name written down and plan to check off every single name at least once”. Exeter University’s response has been to advise students to ignore the threats, stating that they have been designed to cause fear and play on serious and genuine concerns regarding sexual assault. Nevertheless, Devon and Cornwall Police are currently making enquiries about the disturbing trend[3].
These events have again prompted discussions around sexual crimes and women’s safety, with many creating their own TikToks to warn others about the exacerbated threats on April 24th. Some have advised women to stay at home, travel in groups and carry weapons[4]. However, all individuals would be advised to exercise caution on April 24th and report any content which purports to encourage rape or any other sexual offence.
WHAT TO DO NEXT
Should you or someone you know be a survivor of a sexual offence, you may be entitled to government compensation from the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA). If you would like to discuss your eligibility for this compensation, please call 0113 200 9720 for a free consultation with the CICA team at Oakwood Solicitors Ltd.
Sources:
[1] https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/vile-april-24-national-rape-20436741
[2] https://thehill.com/homenews/news/549563-tiktok-national-rape-day-warnings-found-to-be-unsubstantiated
[3] https://thetab.com/uk/exeter/2021/04/20/exeter-uni-says-april-24th-rape-day-rumours-circulating-are-a-hoax-from-tiktok-51696
[4] https://eu.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2021/04/19/fact-check-tiktok-warnings-april-24-threats-unsubstantiated/7289065002/
