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Peterellis.org.nz
Home / Moral Panics / Drug
Rape urban myth Drug-rapes
- Taranaki Hysteria December 2006 |
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For eight women in Taranaki, and
many others nationwide, it is a distressing story they are reluctant to tell.
They have woken up in a strange
place, unsure where they are but agonisingly certain they have been sexually
violated. The eight Taranaki incidents took
place last Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. The women were drinking in
bars in Stratford and New Plymouth and, some time during the evening, they
believe they were slipped a drug that brought their fun to a fog-filled halt.
Rape Crisis workers say there seem
to be few similarities between the cases, with different towns and different
bars involved. Descriptions are vague and investigations are not helped by
the women being unable to remember what happened to them. Detective Senior Sergeant Grant
Coward of New Plymouth said police had yet to receive any formal complaints
from last week's incidents. Hawera police were investigating a
suspected rape last weekend, but it was not yet known if it involved drugs. Mr Coward said the police wanted
victims to come forward, even if they could not remember what happened. "We may be able to advance
the investigation by other means, including scene examinations and forensic
testing." Security camera footage in bars
could also give vital clues. The Hospitality Association said
the attacks in Taranaki had prompted it to remind bar staff to be more
watchful for unusual behaviour. Chief executive Bruce Robertson
said the association encouraged patrons to look after their drinks and look
after mates. "This is not something that
is easy for us to detect ... We are vigilant, but we keep stressing the
public need to take responsibility for their own drinks. They are the best
people to ensure they are kept safe." The Drug Rape Trust said such
incidents were probably more common than anyone suspected and the crime
needed urgent study. Since the Taranaki cases were
publicised, Rape Crisis centres nationwide have reported women coming forward
suspecting they had been victims of a drug rapist. Police do not keep separate
statistics of whether drugs were involved in a sex crime, instead generally
counting such an attack as a rape or sexual assault. Trust chairwoman Louise Carroll
said that while several studies had been done overseas, there was no
comparable local research. Anecdotally, the trust believed drug rape was on
the rise but needed to be defined in crime statistics and properly
researched. "We want to see proper prevention
and education programmes in place, and we want to see it starting at Year 11
in high school." In an Australian study, half of
drug-rape victims knew their attacker, and in a British study it was 70 per
cent. "It's happening in all age
groups, ethnicities and genders," Louise Carroll said.
Information on how people should
respond if they suspect they have become a drink spiking or drug rape victim
has just been released by the Drug Rape Trust. Side effects: Responses: |
