Drug-Facilitated Sexual Assault & Spiking
This page is dedicated to valuable resources, studies, research projects, survey reports, and articles on the subject of drug-facilitated sexual assault. I plan to add more content in the future, but I hope that even at this early stage, it will provide you with new information, help you better support yourself or others, and offer a greater understanding of this critical aspect of Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG).
“Exploring Experiences of Drink and Needle Spiking Incidents Among Global Drug Survey Respondents from 22 Countries” by Emma L. Davies, Timothy Piatkowski, Alex Frankovitch, Cheneal Puljević, Monica J. Barratt, Jason A. Ferris, and Adam R. Winstock, April 2024.
This study explored experiences of spiking following the re-opening of nightlife settings post COVID-19 lockdown. Global Drug Survey 2022, respondents were asked about experience, context, and consequences of drink/needle spiking. In a sample of 7697 respondents 2% reported experiencing spiking the last 12 months, and 20% over a year ago. Most occurred in clubs/bars (54.8%), but a quarter occurred in a private home. 84.9% of respondents suspected a drug was added to their drink; 4.2% thought they had been injected with a drug. Almost a fifth experienced sexual assault during the incident. Only 7.2% who experienced drink spiking reported it to police. Higher AUDIT scores, being a woman, recent illicit substance use, and recent clubbing experience were also associated with recent spiking. Low rates of reporting mean it is difficult to understand prevalence and causes. However, media reports of an epidemic of spiking appear to have been disproportionately emphasised.
“Spiked Substances” by Alcohol.org, an American Addiction Centers resource, January 2023
If you want to know exactly how many Americans have their drinks or food spiked each year, that number may not be so easy to find. According to the Office on Women’s Health, date-rape drugs like Rohypnol, GHB, and ketamine are used because they are not easily detected, and victims often do not remember being drugged or assaulted until many hours later. In 2016, there were over 320,000 incidents of rape and sexual assault, and these incidents are often underreported for both women and men. According to RAINN, 11.2 percent of college students experience rape or sexual assault through force, violence, or incapacitation, and in terms of drug-facilitated sexual assault, alcohol is the No. 1 substance for assailants, next to prescription drugs with tranquilizing effects and Rohypnol, ketamine, GHB, and ecstasy. For this study, the authors surveyed over 900 people to determine the prevalence of drink or food spiking and then studied the experiences of over 200 respondents who have previously had drinks or food spiked to understand the scope of this issue today.
“Interim Findings from GDS2022: Drink Spiking”, by Adam WInstock, Monica Barratt, Emma Davies, Alexandra Aldridge, Cheneal Puljevic, Jason Ferris, Ahnjili Zhuparris, 2022.
In this study the authors also included people’s belief of being injected with a drug. In the UK, data released by 23 police forces in Jan 2022, showed there were 1,466 reports of spiking incidents last year, up from 722 in the year before. While there is likely to be underreporting of such episodes to the police, there is a big difference between reported cases and confirmed cases. Evidence to support a case being brought relies on witnesses, appropriate biological samples, and a reliable recall of events. The current media reports of spiking are not limited to the UK.
“Report: Understanding and tackling spiking,” presented to Parliament pursuant to section 71 of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022, updated 30 January 2024.
The Home Affairs Select Committee (HASC) launched an inquiry into spiking and published its report (HC 967) on April 26, 2022. The Committee gathered oral evidence from witnesses, received over 50 written submissions, and conducted a survey for spiking victims and witnesses, with responses from more than 3,000 individuals. The report made twelve recommendations for the government, organised into four themes: the scale of the problem, the legal framework, preventing and deterring spiking, and detecting and investigating spiking. Since the report’s publication, the government has provided the committee with several updates on the general progress in tackling spiking, as well as updates on each recommendation. During the passage of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts (PCSC) Act 2022, the Home Office committed to publishing a report on the scale and nature of spiking and to reviewing the existing legislative framework to determine whether a new, specific criminal offense for spiking is needed or if the existing laws are sufficient. This report meant to fulfil these commitments and outline the actions the government has taken and will continue to take to address this crime.
“An Exploratory Analysis of Suspected Drug-Facilitated Sexual Assault Seen in a Hospital Emergency Department.” By Dr. Margaret J. McGregir MD and CCFP and MHSc, Magdalena Lipowska BSc, Seema Shah MD and MSPH, Janice Du Mont EdD, and Christine De Siato MSc. Published online: 21 October 2008.
This retrospective review of sexual assault cases seen in an emergency department from 1993 to 1999 examined rates and characteristics of suspected drug-facilitated sexual assault (DFSA). Overall, 12% of cases were identified as suspected DFSAs. The rate of suspected DFSA in 1999 was more than double that in the preceding six years. As well, compared to other sexual assaults, suspected DFSA cases had a longer time delay in presenting to the hospital, were less likely to involve the police, and had a lower occurrence of both genital and extra-genital injury. The clinical implications of these findings, particularly in terms of toxicology evidence collection, are discussed.
“Just a Dare or Unaware? Outcomes and Motives of Drugging (“Drink Spiking”) Among Students at Three College Campuses”, by Suzanne C. Swan (University of South Carolina), Nicole V. Lasky and Bonnie S. Fisher (University of Cincinnati), V. Diane Woodbrown (University of South Carolina), Janaé E. Bonsu (University of Illinois at Chicago), Andrew T. Schramm and Peter R. Warren (University of South Carolina), Ann L. Coker and Corrine M. Williams (University of Kentucky), 2017.
Objective: Drugging (administering a drug to someone without their knowledge or consent) is acknowledged as a problem in “watch your drink” campaigns. However, research on this phenomenon is nascent. Prior research has primarily focused on drugging as a means of sexual assault and has not addressed drugging more generally. Method: Survey data from 6,064 students at 3 universities was used to explore drugging among those who had drugged someone (or knew someone who had) and those who had been drugged. Results: More than 1 in 13 students reported being drugged (462 students, 7.8% of the sample, reported 539 incidents), and 83 students (1.4%) reported 172 incidents of drugging someone. Participants’ perceptions of why people drug others varied by gender. Women were much more likely to mention sex or sexual assault as a motive, while men were more likely to mention having fun as a motive. Participants also mentioned getting others more drunk or high and getting someone to relax as motives. It is possible that some motives (e.g., “to ‘loosen’ me up”) could be euphemisms for more coercive or sexual motives not directly stated.
“Knock-Out Drugs – Their Prevalence, Modes of Action, and Means of Detection,” by B. Madea and F. Mußhoff, Deutsches Ärzteblatt, 2009
‘Knock-out drugs’ are used to facilitate the commission of a crime, generally either robbery or sexual assault. Although media reports on the use of knock-out drugs have become more frequent, there are no robust epidemiological data on the incidence of drug-facilitated robbery or sexual assault, presumably because many crimes of these types do not enter official statistics. The authors describe the modes of action and toxicological means of detection of the substances most frequently used as knock-out drugs based on a selective literature research on the terms “drug-facilitated sexual assaults” (DFSA) and “drug-facilitated crimes” (DFC).
“What you should know about date rape drugs,” medically reviewed by Alisha D. Sellers, BS Pharmacy, PharmD , written by Zawn Villines, updated on October 26, 2023
Date rape drugs are drugs a person can use to alter someone’s self-defence capability or decision-making to perpetrate a sexual assault. Knowing the most common types and their side effects can help prevent or stop sexual violence.
“NEVER A VICTIM – The Definitive Guide to Women’s Safety,” written by Robert Kaiser, 2024.
NEVER A VICTIM is the result of over three decades of in-depth understanding of physical and sexual violence against women. This essential resource aims to empower you to trust your innate ability to protect yourself and stay safe. Spanning over 504 pages and over 110,000 words, it offers proven and reliable advice. The second part of this comprehensive book provides specific guidance on various physical and sexual crimes, including drug-facilitated sexual assault and spiking.