Drug rape ... are you at risk?
A frightening new trend shows middle class women in their 30s and 40s are the new targets for drug rapists...
THE FACTS
- You're most likely to be drug-raped at office Christmas and on holidays abroad.
- There are over 1,000 new victims a year
- 70% of drug-rape victims know their rapist.
The real nightmare is that it actually happened. Some women seemingly unlikely victims of drug rape, like a married mother-of-two who normally wouldn't go out for party very often.
Many people heard of drinks being spiked, but never in a million years to think that it will happen to themselves.
It's a common response. When we think of drug rape, we see it as something far removed from our lives. You may think it happens to young women in nightclubs, right? Wrong. The rapist's target is more likely to be in her 30s or 40s, having a drink in a bar or pub, and , most worrying of all, the majority of victims know their attacker.
The date-rape drugs
BENZODIAZEPINES The most common one of these is Rohypnol, which is 10 times stronger than Valium. When taken with alcohol, the effect of both is multiplied.
GHB (GAMMA-HYDROXYBUTYRATE) GHB is known as liquid ecstasy and is used as a recreational drug by clubbers. It has a slightly salty taste.
KETAMIN An animal tranquilliser. Taken with alcohol, its effects multiply.
The drugs take 20 minutes to be absorbed, after which victims only have a 10-minute window to realise they suddenly feel considerably more drunk than they did or should. It's up to friends to look out for each other.
You're not knocked out cold. You are still capable of walking and talking, and actually having sex. When mixed with alcohol, drugs like GHB and Rohypnol will vastly reduce people's inhibitions and the rapists know that. The memory of what you've done is still in your head, but the drug block its recall.
The hardest thing for them to face is the 'what if?' ... What if there was more than one of them?, What if they know where I live? ... The trouble is the subconscious has recorded the incident, so it's already traumatically reacting, but the conscious mind doesn't have a clear memory. So the victims feel like they are going insane.
Aside from the psychological damage, there is also the threat of sexually transmitted diseased and other serious medical problems.
But what type of man would drug a woman? Dr Glen Wilson, a psychologist believe there is a fine line between normal and abnormal courting behavior. Most men would regard it as perfectly acceptable to offer drinks to lower a women's inhibitions. Some men may also consider using a drug to achieve this, although actually carrying a drug requires pre-planning, which indicates a degree of psychopathy.
The most disturbing development, believes Jean Cumming, director of Scottish trauma counselling group crisis, is that pornographers are now involved. There are cases where drinks could only have been spiked by the barman, yet they wouldn't have a chance to attack the victim. We can only assume they are being paid to drug them and it's pointing towards the porn industry. It sounds too horrible to be true, but it is.
Educate to women that this is happening and inform the men who are doing it that it's not normal behavior and that they won't get away with it for long is very necessary...
Don't be a victim
- Always plan your journey or night out and organize your transport back home before you go out.
- Appoint a nominated drink-watcher and never leave your drink unattended, even when going to the toilet.
- If you begin to feel really drunk and you know you've only had a couple of drinks, seek help from a trusted friend or a member of of the pub or club management.
- If you think you've been a victim of drug rape, visit http://www.roofie.com/
references - Drug Rape article featured by Karla Napolean (SHE Magazine)