Links
The Global Persecution of Women
Glossary
”Drug Rape,”Strathclyde Police, 2006.
It is the violent act that takes place with no screams and no apparent resistance from the victim, yet it can leave the same scars as any assault - physical, emotional and psychological. In essence, it can happen to anyone - male or female - but everyone can take the appropriate steps to ensure that it doesn't happen to them.
Drug-assisted sexual assault, or drug rape as it is more commonly known, can be defined as the administering of a drug against an individual's wishes, or without their knowledge, which incapacitates or disorientates the individual with the intention of carrying out a sexual assault.
Although reported instances of drug rape within the Strathclyde area are few, evidence from external organisations and other police forces suggest that the problem may be larger than the number of reported cases would have us believe.
Research has shown that in over 50 per cent of drug rape cases the drug was administered through alcohol and 70 per cent of attackers were known to their victims in some way. It is no surprise, therefore, that most instances of drug rape occur as a result of victims attending pubs and clubs, where the consumption of alcohol, the act of socialising, and the hustle and bustle of the environment, can allow the administering of a drug into a drink to go unnoticed. However, other settings - such as homes, hotels, house parties, university campuses and business offices - have been the scene for drug rape assaults. In addition, drug rape is not a crime exclusively perpetrated on women - 12 per cent of known victims have been male.
This section of our website is designed to inform you about how you can avoid becoming a victim, and what you should do if you suspect that you have been a victim. Moreover, we want this section of our site to reassure the public that Strathclyde Police will investigate all reports of drug rape sympathetically, confidentially and diligently.
If you're not watching what you're drinking then somebody else might be.
Links
The Global Persecution of Women
Glossary
