Where does it happen? – Toxicology of Drug Facilitated Sexual Assault

Content Warning

Various victim stories are shared to show the extent and personal impact of the issue. Viewer Discretion is Advised.

Sexual Assault can happen anywhere and some of the most common places or situations for DFSA are explained below.

On Campus

Did you know that is socially acceptable to get an individual drunk to make them “easier”? This view has made it very easy for perpetrators to go unnoticed and unstopped.

15-25% of college-aged students experience some form of sexual violence during their academic career and over half of these assaults involve drugs or alcohol.

Why is DFSA so prevalent in college/university?

Students attending a post-secondary institute often engage in drinking, partying and associated behaviors. As mentioned in the video, the party/drinking culture in university creates new social norms which presents scenarios often seen in DFSA. It is NOT the victims fault and all students should have the opportunity to do things they enjoy without the fear of sexual assault. The attitude of getting a woman drunk to make them “easier” also creates a societal norm where young women are sexualized and the burden of safety falls on the women rather than the perpetrator.

At a Bar

Ordered a drink at a bar, blacked out, woke up sick, numb, in pain, or worse. This is the horrifying experience shared by many victims who had their drink spiked at a bar.

To the right, two women share their experiences with date rape drugs at bar.

Recently, a unique experience was shared on reddit which showed admirable handling of a situation by bar staff when a woman’s drink was spiked.

An individual had told the bartender that they saw someone put something in a girl’s drink. The bartender quickly communicated the information to the bar staff through what seemed like a code. The lights immediately turned on and the owner of the bar stepped on stage, stopped the band, and made an announcement. The announcement read as follows:

“Attention: We have a report that someone in this room possibly drugged a young ladies’ drink. We request that all women here immediately put down your drink and don’t take another sip. We will replace your drink for free. If you are the young lady, we will notify you when you come to the bar. If anyone is feeling sick or weak please let us know.”

The lights had stayed on and the band did not play for about an hour. There were no complaints from the crowd and there were many cheers in agreement with the response. After that everything had resumed to normal and the volume of people at the bar was unchanged.

A protocol such as this would be immensely helpful in reducing the number of DFSAs in bars.

There are many other bars and bartenders which have developed other tactics to help individuals who may be experiencing similar situations.

On a Date

In 2014 it was found that only 5% of sexual assaults in Canada were reported to the police. Compare this to the 44% of reported cases for robberies, break-ins and car thefts.

25%-37% of sexual assault cases that are reported involve the use of drugs or alcohol to facilitate sexual assault.

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Testimonials from Victims

Dissolve: A Documentary (Trailer)

Social Experiment

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Contributed By: Sri Gunturi

References

Header image: https://yourteenmag.com/health/drugs-alcohol/drug-facilitated-sexual-assault