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.

Notes

Notes

[1] Covertly adding a psychoactive substance to a drink usually to incapacitate a potential victim or for entertainment.

[2] Definitions of rape and other serious sexual assault vary between countries, therefore comparisons should be made with caution. Detailed analysis of the definitions and legal situation is outside the scope of this paper.

[3] 95% confidence intervals 11,000 to 39,000.

[4] Memory loss of events leading up to an assault.

[5] This study examines cases that include drug-facilitated robbery as well as sexual assault.