Sexual assaults facilitated by drugs or alcohol

Abstract

Over the past 10 years, there has been a rise in the number of reports of drugs being used covertly to incapacitate potential victims for the purpose of sexual assault. However, recent evidence from forensic studies indicates that alcohol is much more commonly implicated in cases of drug facilitated sexual assault (DFSA) when victims are too intoxicated to give consent. Campaigns that warn about the risk of becoming a victim, or even a perpetrator, of sexual assault by excessive use of alcohol are being increasingly promoted as a necessary step in addressing the problem. New recommendations from the UK Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) and from the Council of Europe call for better monitoring of drug-and alcohol-facilitated sexual assault. However, public attitudes to sexual assault in the form of stereotyping and victim blaming are prevalent and entrenched and are widely recognized as barriers to reporting this type of crime. Population surveys suggest that up to 20% of women experience some form of sexual assault in their adult lifetime but reporting and conviction rates remain low. Monitoring DFSA will require a raft of changes, including improved methods of forensic analysis and training for police and hospital emergency staff.

Detection of γ‐hydroxybutyric acid‐related acids in blood plasma and urine: Extending the detection window of an exogenous γ‐hydroxybutyric acid intake?

“…Furthermore, lethal respiratory depression is a known consequence of acute GHB overdose 19,20 . In addition to voluntary ingestion as a drug of abuse, GHB is misused as a so‐called knockout drug via the rapid occurrence of behavioral alteration effects (e.g., loss of physical control, unconsciousness) following a high‐dosed GHB intake 15,21–24 . In cases of drug‐facilitated crimes (e.g., drug‐facilitated sexual assault [DFSA]), the frequently arising anterograde amnesia of the victims as well as the short detection window (maximum 6–8 h in blood and maximum 10–12 h in urine) and major interindividual and intraindividual variations of endogenous GHB concentrations complicate the analytical proof of GHB administration 15,25–29 …”

Forcible, Substance-facilitated, and Incapacitated Sexual Assault Among University Women: A Canadian Sample

“…Among victims of sexual assault in our sample, roughly 36% reported a single incident, 46% reported two or three, and 18% reported four or more; thus, 64% of victims had experienced more than one sexual assault. Most commonly reported were incidents of incapacitated sexual assault, where the victim voluntarily consumed drugs or alcohol prior to victimization (see Lawyer et al, 2010;Monk & Jones, 2014;Olszewski, 2009); the level or degree of intoxication prior to assault remains unclear from the present work. Overall, findings provide support for Hypotheses 1, substance-related assaults occurred more frequently than forcible sexual assaults; however, Lawyer et al (2010) found a larger differential between forcible sexual assaults and substance-related assaults at roughly a 1:5 ratio, whereas we found a 2:3 ratio.…”

Flört Tecavüzü: Bir Gözden Geçirme

“…Örneğin; İngiliz Suç Tarama araştırmasına göre cinsel saldırıya uğrayanların % 5'i istemsiz bir biçimde madde etkisindeyken cinsel saldırıya uğradıklarını belirtirken, % 15'i cinsel ilişki için gereken rızayı gösteremeyecek kadar yüksek oranlarda alkol etkisi altında olduklarını belirtmişlerdir (Olszewski, 2009). Ayrıca, Amerika Birleşik Devletleri'nde telefon kanalıyla gerçekleştirilen cinsel saldırı odaklı bir çalışmada katılımcıların % 2,3'ü alkol veya psikoaktif maddeler ile kendi kendilerini istemli bir biçimde etkisiz hale getirdiklerini ve faillerin de bu durumlarını kullandıklarını bildirmişlerdir (Kilpatrick, Resnick, Ruggiero, Conoscenti ve McCauley, 2007).…”