JOHANNESBURG, Dec 8 (Reuters) – South African transgender woman and LGBT+ activist Tabusee Mabezane was concerned for her safety when she met a man on the dating app Tinder earlier this year. .
She told him that it would be better to meet in a public place rather than at her home. But as she waited at her meeting point in Johannesburg, her unregistered car stopped, a man with a gun got out and forced her into her car.
Mabezane told Reuters that he was taken to an abandoned building where he was asked to call a friend and send money. One of the people she called was a traditional healer who, after holding her for several hours, convinced her gang to release her without ransom.
Mami did not report the incident for fear that people would not believe her.
Tinder encourages users to report crimes to local law enforcement and said it has a dedicated team to help serve justice. He also said it provides a reporting mechanism through the app and works to detect signs of fraud and check suspicious profiles.
“The safety of our members is of the utmost importance,” a Tinder spokesperson said.
Incidents like Mabezane’s are on the rise in South Africa, sparking a debate about how to protect dating app users from kidnapping and extortion. Police and activists say LGBT+ individuals are often targeted for hatred and intolerance.
“SAPS (South African Police Service) has noticed a trend in criminals targeting unsuspecting individuals on social media networks, including dating apps,” SAPS national spokesperson Atrenda Mate said.
“We arrested and destroyed several syndicates.” [gangs]They were targeting the gay and lesbian community,” Mate said.
Local security firm Vision Tactical has banned dating app Grindr in South Africa, citing an “alarming increase” in incidents of gay men being physically assaulted, robbed or lured into hostage locations. asked for a ban. Said.
“We are dealing with a syndicate that kidnaps three or four people a night,” said Yaseen Teva, director of Vision Tactical, citing a six-month study conducted by the company.
In a notable incident in September, an 18-year-old student was kidnapped in Johannesburg after meeting someone on Grindr. The man was later rescued and seven suspects were arrested, police said.
“We at Grindr are keenly aware of this very worrying situation,” a company spokesperson told Reuters, referring to the kidnappings of people who used the app to arrange meetings.
Grindr has integrated a number of safety features into its app, including a video calling feature that allows users to verify the identity of the person they are talking to before meeting, and has issued a safety warning to users in South Africa. Receive it every day. “We continue to explore further solutions to this crisis with our local partners,” the spokesperson said.
Some activists said banning Grindr would further marginalize the LGBT+ community.
“I don’t think there’s a need to ban[Grindr]. I mean straight people can use these apps too and have a good time finding love, but you can’t do that because you’re queer or gay. ā said kidnap victim Mabezane. āThereās an equality issue there.ā
Report by Tando Hlophe. Additional reporting and writing by Nellie Peyton.Editing: Alexander Winning, Alexandra Hudson
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