To view the original article Click HereTitle – Drugging Danger on Indian Trains
Source – Sunday Times
Date – 31st May 2009
That the Indian police are warning travellers about the risks of ‘spiked’ food and drink on Indian trains, means that people should really be paying attention…
Drugged food and drink on trains in many parts of the world has been an increasingly common problem, especially on the Indian Sub-continent. This warning seems to be directed at female travellers and although they should be taking as much care as anyone, the implication given is not entirely correct.
By suggesting that women in particular should be wary of drugged food, the natural conclusion is that the reason for the ‘spiking’ is to enable the perpetrator to sexually assault the victim. Although sexual assault or drug assisted rape is certainly one possible motive and is still predominantly directed at women, the use of drugs to disable a victim is probably used more as a way of incapacitating a person in order to facilitate theft or robbery.
In the case of theft, the threat is clearly directed at male and female travellers, so I wanted to extend the warning given by the Indian police to all travellers. Be careful when offered hospitality by strangers, especially on trains in India where these ‘scams’ are known to happen. The consequences of being ‘spiked’ can be much more serious than simply being robbed, apart from the potential of sexual assault the effects of the drugs themselves can have serious consequences to health.
It is about finding a balance; hospitality of local people is one of the joys of travel and to avoid it completely is to miss out on a fundamental aspect of the travel experience. The use of good judgement is key; a knowledge of where and when it might be appropriate to accept hospitality and mitigating the risks by travelling with people you trust (and where there is doubt one member of your group foregoing the hospitality offered) will reduce the risks faced from this particular threat.
At Beyond The Blue (Safe Gap Year) our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness Workshop (GYITSA) considers issues of Travel Safety, alongside sessions on Ethical and Responsible Travel, Travel Health, Travel Equipment, Travel Insurance, Destination Advice, Transport Options, Documentation, Travel Money and Insurance and more. During our workshop we look at many of the ‘common scams’ and the threats faced by travellers from criminals in the countries they intend to visit.
Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com. For a complete list of Blog entries visit our National Press Archive page.
For more information on any of our services, please call us on 0845 602 55 95 or Contact Us.
Source – Sunday Times
Date – 31st May 2009
That the Indian police are warning travellers about the risks of ‘spiked’ food and drink on Indian trains, means that people should really be paying attention…
Drugged food and drink on trains in many parts of the world has been an increasingly common problem, especially on the Indian Sub-continent. This warning seems to be directed at female travellers and although they should be taking as much care as anyone, the implication given is not entirely correct.
By suggesting that women in particular should be wary of drugged food, the natural conclusion is that the reason for the ‘spiking’ is to enable the perpetrator to sexually assault the victim. Although sexual assault or drug assisted rape is certainly one possible motive and is still predominantly directed at women, the use of drugs to disable a victim is probably used more as a way of incapacitating a person in order to facilitate theft or robbery.
In the case of theft, the threat is clearly directed at male and female travellers, so I wanted to extend the warning given by the Indian police to all travellers. Be careful when offered hospitality by strangers, especially on trains in India where these ‘scams’ are known to happen. The consequences of being ‘spiked’ can be much more serious than simply being robbed, apart from the potential of sexual assault the effects of the drugs themselves can have serious consequences to health.
It is about finding a balance; hospitality of local people is one of the joys of travel and to avoid it completely is to miss out on a fundamental aspect of the travel experience. The use of good judgement is key; a knowledge of where and when it might be appropriate to accept hospitality and mitigating the risks by travelling with people you trust (and where there is doubt one member of your group foregoing the hospitality offered) will reduce the risks faced from this particular threat.
At Beyond The Blue (Safe Gap Year) our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness Workshop (GYITSA) considers issues of Travel Safety, alongside sessions on Ethical and Responsible Travel, Travel Health, Travel Equipment, Travel Insurance, Destination Advice, Transport Options, Documentation, Travel Money and Insurance and more. During our workshop we look at many of the ‘common scams’ and the threats faced by travellers from criminals in the countries they intend to visit.
Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com. For a complete list of Blog entries visit our National Press Archive page.
For more information on any of our services, please call us on 0845 602 55 95 or Contact Us.
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