Sexual assault accusations used for taxi drivers in Croatia alarm

At least two women were allegedly raped by taxi drivers in the Croatian coastal city of Split in recent weeks, local media reported.

In an incident that occurred at the end of July, a 23-year-old taxi driver is said to have assaulted a British woman who is reportedly the same age.

The woman reportedly told police the attack occurred while intoxicated and did not consent, while the driver insisted the “sexual intercourse was consensual.”

According to the Croatian newspaper Vecernji, the woman was reported to have already left Croatia, while the driver was told not to contact the woman during the legal proceedings.

About a week later, a 20-year-old French woman reported another sexual assault to the police in Split.

In both cases, Vecernji reported, the drivers were called through a taxi app, but the drivers canceled the trip after picking up the women so their trip would not be traced.

The local newspaper Slobodna Dalmacija also reported that another British woman accused a taxi driver of raping her in Dubrovnik in April.

“SHARE YOUR TRIP BY PHONE”

“There are reports of sexual assault in taxis or Ubers in Croatia,” the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) issued a recommendation.

“To help reduce risk and prevent possible attacks, you can: take a photo of the taxi number and send it to a friend or other person; share the status of your trip in the Uber app; When you are in a taxi, call someone and tell them what taxi it is and where you are going. saying.

Uber, which has more than 120,000 users in Croatia, says the safety of everyone who uses its app is an “absolute priority.”

“All drivers must go through a rigorous verification process that includes, among other things, a criminal record check,” a company spokesperson told The Sun.