Fact Checkers Say “National Rape Day” Warnings Are Unsubstantiated

Daytona Beach, FL – In a concerning trend on the popular social media app TikTok, multiple videos warn of an supposed holiday where all matters of rape and sexual assault are legalized for 24 hours. Needless to say, no such holiday exists. However, this hasn’t stopped the rumors from spreading online. The "warnings" began to pop up online in April—which is also Sexual Assault Awareness Month—claiming that a holiday was going to legalize rape for 24 hours. But, according to an article from Snopes.com, which specializes in debunking internet rumors, their own investigation failed to find any kind of campaign that promotes the alleged holiday. Further investigation by Snopes also found that the rumors of the "holiday" aren’t new. In fact, the website found archived pages from Urban Dictionary—a crowdsourced online dictionary for slang words—shows entries of "National Rape Day" that date all the way back to May 2018. Those entries also claimed that April 12 and April 18 were the supposed dates of the false holiday. Those entries have since been deleted by Urban Dictionary. On Facebook—where rumors are also circulating about "National Rape Day"—some posts warning about the hoax have been flagged for containing "false information" that has been checked by independent fact checkers. Rape and sexual assault are no joke. If you believe that you have been raped or sexually assaulted, remember that help exists. Call the Volusia County Rape Crisis Center 24/7 Helpline at 800-503-7621 for care and support.