Problems of Sexual Assault

Many sexual assaults that occur on a college campus involve the use of drugs or alcohol. Many advocates say that this is the reason the number of sexual assaults that occur on campus continues to increase. The number one date rape drug used is alcohol. Students should also be aware that drugs could be mixed in to their drinks. Date rape drugs such as Rohypnol and GHB, which is a banned supplement, are used. This shows the importance of pouring your own drinks when you are at a party, or if you are at a bar buy your own drinks. If you aren’t buying your own drink, be present when whoever is buying your drinks is buying it. These date rape drugs like Rohypnol often have no scent and no taste.

A study in 2006 estimated that there are about 100,000 sexual assaults reported in the United States each year. About 62% of these assaults were “drug-facilitated.” 5% of victims were given a date rape drug. Although these studies were for all ages and not just college students, it shows how common drug-facilitated attacks are which is something that is very true on campuses as well which was said by a former cop with the Los Angeles Police Department and now consults with police departments and educational institutions about the issues of drugs and sexual assaults. The cop even said that there were 40 drugs commonly associated with campus sexual assaults. These drugs include benzodiazepines such as Ativan and Valium, and party drugs like Ecstasy, and pain medications such as Vicodin. All of these drugs can alter your perception and significantly impair your ability to give consent. Any drug that is synergistic with alcohol, meaning two substances that increase the effect of a drug, can lead to a drug-facilitated assault.

The drug GHB is a clear liquid that has no taste or smell, and can very easily be hidden in an eye drop container. The drug can then very sneakily be dropped into someone’s drink. It can start to work within 15 minutes. The effects of GHB vary but when taken with alcohol, which is most common, can cause amnesia. The victim can either forget everything or remember small portions of what happened to them. GHB is also a sexual stimulant so the perpetrator often accuse the women of initiating the encounter when in reality, it was just the drug doing its job. The woman may not be able to piece all the details together in time to get tested for this drug being in her system. The drug can leave the system in as little as 4 hours

The author of the same study mentioned earlier called for an increased toxicology screening. Most rape kits do not have a blood or urine samples because it is not routine. This makes it difficult later in court to present evidence that the victim was even drugged in the first place. In most cases, the victim has total memory loss and has no clue what happened. By the time the do start remembering, the drug could be out of their system which complicates proving that they were drugged even further. Most times, victims don’t even get to the hospital the same day that the assault happened. They can get to the hospital 36-48 hours later.

If a woman got drunk willingly and initiated the sexual contact, it doesn’t matter. That woman is not in the right state of mind to give consent. Once anyone is intoxicated, they are legally incapable of consent and anyone who has sex with the individual can be charged with rape. Often times, people get away with having sex with people who are intoxicated but once they get caught, they are a sexual predator for life. The solution to not having charges from drug-facilitated sexual assault is very simple; have sex sober.

Work Cited

Smith, Carol. “A Dangerous Mix: Drinking, Sex and College Students.” InvestigateWest, 11 May 2017, www.invw.org/2010/02/25/940/.

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