Advertisement

Norway sees more rapes tied to Tinder use

NTB/The Local
NTB/The Local - [email protected]
Norway sees more rapes tied to Tinder use
Several rape crisis centres report an increase in the number of women attacked by men they met on Tinder. Photo: Gorm Kallestad/NTB Scanpix

Both police and numerous rape crisis centres say they have noticed an increase in the number of women subjected to sexual attack after having met someone through online dating or apps like Tinder.

Advertisement

“We began seeing a significant increase last year in the category that includes rapes after initial contact was made on Tinder or other dating sites,” Oslo Police spokeswoman Kari-Janne Lid told VG. 
 
In 2014, 29 percent of all reported rapes in Oslo fell in that category. Last year, the number was up to 40 percent. 
 
Ann Helen Lomsdalen, who leads a sexual attack centre in Frederikstad, has warned area women about the naive use of Tinder. 
 
“We are seeing more rapes in connection with Tinder dates. It is a trend that I think is frightening. It has happened a lot in the eight years I have led the centre,” she told VG. 
 
Three out of the nine cases the centre has handled this year involve women assaulted by Tinder connections. 
 
“That in itself maybe isn’t a huge number, but there is a pattern emerging,” she said. 
 
VG contacted several other Norwegian rape crisis centres that confirmed similar increases in the number of Tinder-related assaults. 
 
A spokeswoman for the dating app said that the company takes its users’ safety very seriously and has stringent rules but is not immune to unwanted sexual incidents. 

More

Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.

Please log in to leave a comment.

See Also