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Crisis Center sees troubling trend in sexual assault calls
Briona Arradondo reports
TAMPA, Fla. - The Crisis Center of Tampa Bay is fielding a rising number of sexual assault reports after people use certain social media apps.
"What we’re seeing in the first quarter of this calendar year is a percentage increase in the number of sex assault victims that come to us and talk about that their assault was the result of using some sort of social media," said Clara Reynolds, the president and CEO at Crisis Center of Tampa Bay. "Whether that is some sort of dating app, some sort of social media connectivity app, a rideshare app, any of those types of things, we’re seeing an increase."
After helping 83 victims with rape exams from January through March this year, Crisis Center workers noticed a trend for people using dating apps and rideshare apps.
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"As a percentage of total volume, it’s about 18%, which is much higher than we have ever seen. We usually average between about 7 and 11% of those," said Reynolds about the breakdown of assault reports. "So, to already be at 18% just seems really unusual and an opportunity for us to tell everybody please be aware. Please be cautious."
Victims shared with the Crisis Center what led up to the assaults.
"Often times it’s an individual who is thinking they’re getting into their rideshare, and it’s somebody posing in that role and it occurs there. And the sexual assault often times occurs in the vehicle," said Reynolds. "Or the driver may be seeming very friendly and willing to help you into your place and then it’s occurring in somebody’s home."
Rideshare apps Uber and Lyft sent FOX 13 statements about the trend. An uber spokesperson said:
"Sexual assault is a devastating and far too common crime in our society. We take reports of this nature very seriously and are always looking for ways to help make our communities safer by developing new in-app safety features, establishing survivor-centric policies, and being more transparent about these types of incidents. Safety is at the heart of our approach at Uber."
Uber has integrated an emergency button for 911, RideCheck and trusted contacts among its safety features.
A Lyft spokesperson also sharing the company’s commitment to safety, saying:
"We’re committed to helping keep drivers and riders safe. Our goal is to make every Lyft ride as safe as possible, and we will continue to take action and invest in technology, policies and partnerships to do so."
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Lyft said it performs annual background checks, allows for riders to share their location in real time, and emergency help.
"I would say for the majority of them, it’s absolutely fine. We are just noticing some trends, so we just want to make sure that everybody is very cautious and aware," said Reynolds. "When you dial for that rideshare, make sure that you’re double-checking that that individual is who they say that they are. And if at all possible, if you can go utilize rideshare in pairs or in groups. Obviously, it’s much safer the more people who are involved.
As for dating apps, crisis workers recommend meeting in a public place several times to get to know the person well.
"You can’t just automatically assume just because you made a wonderful connection online, that that connection is going to transcend once you are by yourself behind closed doors. That’s when things can get the most dangerous when you don’t know somebody," said Reynolds.
April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month. The Crisis Center of Tampa Bay said there will be more places for victims to get help and access to resources. The Crisis Center plans to open a second rape crisis center in southern Hillsborough County in Ruskin at the end of April, an area that has been underserved.