On TikTok, April 24 has been known as “National Rape Day” thanks to a hoax that has circulated on the app for the last three years, and many people, young women in particular, are nervous they could be in danger.
Some form of this “international rape day” hoax has circulated the internet since at least the early 2010s. There are Urban Dictionary entries on the hoax dating back to 2018 detailing the myth that “rape will be legal for 24 hours on April 24.”
The hoax blew up on TikTok in 2021 and has gone viral each April 24 since, with posts urging women and girls to take extreme caution on this day.
One law enforcement officer, @kelvindingle made a video for awareness, “Ladies, please, whether it is truthful or not, I implore you to be safe. If in any way you have an uneasy feeling, what I need for you to do [is] scream at the very top of your lungs for assistance, for help. It is better to be safe than to be sorry”.
@kelvindingle Awareness of possible threats on our Women. #nationalrapedayisnotokay #youvebeenwarned ♬ Epic - Joystock
The hoax does not have an origin that is easily citeable. However, the internet is filled with misogynist creeps so there's no surprise that the “rape day” happens to fall during Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month.
“I’m scared to go to school tomorrow,” comments one girl on @pregnantrp52’s video warning girls about the day. The post has over 15k likes and almost half a million views.
@pregnantrp52 ♬ original sound - EX7STENCE™
There are no reports of assaults occurring in the name of this holiday. Despite the myth, it is still frightening.
@tofology The 24th of April will be like every other day
♬ original sound - Abbie Richards
TikTok creator and disinformation and extremism researcher, Abbie Richards, made a video debunking the trend and added how the fearmongering “promotes misconceptions about sexual violence.”
“[Women are] probably no more in danger on April 24th than we are any other day of the year but the fact that [women] face the threat of sexual violence every day is the problem in the first place, Richards concludes.
Abusers don’t need a special day, they abuse regardless.
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