Drug-Facilitated Sexual Assault
The Hard Facts
Drug-facilitated sexual assault is a terrible crime
Sex is an intimate act; sexual assault is not. It's about power, fear and control. A victim could be beaten, injured or even killed during a sexual assault, and if they drink alcohol spiked with a "date-rape" drug, they could overdose and possibly die. Even when physical violence or drugging isn't involved, sexual assault can emotionally scar you, and you may not feel safe again for a long time.
Sexual assault victims are never responsible
It's sad, but a lot of sexual assault victims blame themselves for what happened. They feel ashamed or think they were "asking for it" by drinking too much or dressing and acting a certain way. The truth is, the way you dress or act is never "asking" for anything, and the only way to "ask for sex" is by actually asking for sex.
The most common "date-rape" drug is not Rohypnol® - it's alcohol
When most people think of drug-facilitated sexual assault, they tend to think of "date-rape" drugs like Rohypnol® (roofies) being slipped into a girl's drink when she's not looking. This does happen, but for now at least, it's probably pretty rare in Canada. It's a good idea to remember that, more often, victims of sexual assault are just drinking alcohol, and are sexually assaulted after they pass out or are too drunk to resist.
Drug -facilitated sexual assault may happen a lot more often than we think
Most sexual assaults are never reported to police , never solved or never proven. There are a lot of reasons why people don't report the crime to police. A lot of the drugs used in drug-facilitated sexual assault, including alcohol, can erase or blur parts of your memory, and you may never know for sure if you were assaulted. Some may also be afraid that the police won't believe them, or feel that it was partly their fault. Still others may just want to put the whole thing behind them.
Most drug-facilitated sexual assaults are committed by a person the victim knows or trusts - not by strangers
Many of these crimes are not planned in advance. For example, a guy may take advantage of a girl at a party who is drunk or on drugs because he sees her as an "easy target". For this reason, it's pretty common for a person to know the one who assaulted them. A lot of times, sexual assault is committed by a friend or someone you know, by a date or a boyfriend/girlfriend, and sometimes even by a spouse or family member. About 75% of all rapes are committed by a date or acquaintance.
Women are almost always the victims of drug-facilitated sexual assault, and female teenagers and young women are at the most risk
Anyone can be a victim of sexual assault. It doesn't matter whether you're a guy or a girl, or what your sexual orientation is. However, the vast majority of victims are women, and women between the ages of 16 and 24 are about four times more likely to be sexually assaulted than women in other age groups 1.
Other stats and facts about drug-facilitated sexual assault:
- About 25% of women report that drugs were a factor in a rape Most of these crimes either go unrecognized, unreported, unsolved, or unproven
- Some of the drugs used to facilitate sexual assault or rape can be fatal when mixed with alcohol
- "Date-rape" drugs are also commonly used recreationally, putting the user at risk of sexual assault
- Adolescent females (16-19 years) and young adult women (20-24 years) are 4 times more likely to be sexually assaulted than women in other age groups
- Most sexual assaults are committed by an acquaintance or date
- It is estimated that approximately 75% of all rapes are date or acquaintance rapes
- The most frequently detected drug in victims of drug-facilitated sexual assault is alcohol. The second most common is marijuana
1. Rickert, 2002; McPherson, 2004.
Last Modified: September 5, 2006
