Taken from Dailymail Online:

A volunteer host who believed he was ‘irresistible’ to women, lured a holidaymaker to his flat after meeting her on website couchsurfing.com before brutally raping her.

Recorder Peter Collier said: ‘When your partner left you, you intentionally used the couchsurfing website to attract women to your home.

I think this news really illuminates how vulnerable of a position we put ourselves in when surfing on other people’s couches.  Despite my belief that CouchSurfing is generally full of good people, there will always be some bad apples that will take advantage of the trust and kindness of others.  This turn of events comes as very disturbing news, but my faith is not shaken in this project.

It’s true that CouchSurfing requires a lot of trust.  We agree to enter a stranger’s home and spend the night (or a few nights).  We agree to let strangers enter our own home and entreat them to accept our hospitality.  This system is rife with opportunities for people of loose (or no) morals to take advantage of us.

It is not, nor will ever be, a perfect system.  We must rely on the kindness and hospitality of others to see us through.  That level of risk is not for everyone and I completely understand that.  There is nothing wrong with it and this incident goes to show you that sometimes our fears do come true.  Though we must recognize that this is not an isolated incident.  It is possible to be taken advantage of just as easily through Craig’s List, Ebay, House-swap programs, and much more.

Granted, you don’t run the risk of being raped via Ebay but the underlying principle is the same.  If you give someone the opportunity to commit transgressions against you, it is possible that that person will act on it.  The fact is it doesn’t matter what medium a person uses to commit crimes.  If a person has the desire and motivation then it can happen no matter the circumstances.

One surfer I recently hosted told me that she couldn’t tell her parents that she is CouchSurfing around the world because they would be too afraid for her.  As a single woman traveling by herself, I wouldn’t blame her parents for being scared for her.  As this news clearly shows there is a danger that things can go from bad to traumatizing very fast.

Although there are plenty of ways you can ensure your safety while CouchSurfing and you can take plenty of precautions, the fact of the matter is that this danger does exist.  It is possible.  But on the flip side this seems to be a very rare occurrence (I have never read about anything like this before, although that certainly doesn’t mean it hasn’t happened).  Again, I believe that the CouchSurfing community is compromised of good, honest, and generous people.

Don’t let this incident discourage you from exploring what CouchSurfing has to offer.  Just make sure to be safe and be smart.  That’s the best you can hope for.  But if that’s not enough for you, then don’t join.  And don’t let anyone hold that against you.

Safe travels and happy surfing!

Related posts:

1. CouchSurfing: How Do I Ensure My Safety?
2. CouchSurfing: What’s in it For Me?
3. My First CouchSurfing Experience