Title – Lip gloss test that spots if your drink is spiked with rape drugs
Source – Evening Standard
Date – 16th October 2009
‘Date Rape’ or ‘Drug Assisted Rape / Sexual Assault’ is a serious issue for independent travellers, unfortunately the reality is often not well understood.
Anything which helps reduce the risks faced from ‘drug assisted rape’ should be welcomed and this lip gloss / testing strip can be one line of defence. There are some problems; how many strips are provided in comparison with the number of drinks which might be consumed? How co-ordinated will an alcohol consumer be after a few drinks to remember or even be able to complete the fiddly test? However something is always better than nothing.
What is much more important is understanding the nature of the problem and dispelling the myths.
‘Drink spiking’ is a very different problem in the UK to other parts of the world. In the UK the majority of ‘drink spiking’ cases are linked to sexual assaults and although not exclusively directed at women the majority of victims are women.
In other parts of the world ‘spiking’ is more commonly used as a means of facilitating theft or even kidnap; this means that both men and women are targeted. That should not take away that drink spiking is still used to facilitate sexual assault and rape.
So for independent travellers the strategies to protecting against being drugged need to be more deliberate and proactive. In the UK we generally consider drinks to be the usual vector for ‘spiking’, in many part of the world ‘food spiking’ is even more common.
The substances used also vary; in the UK alcohol is by far the most used drug in ‘date rape’ and abroad this may still be the case for ‘drug assisted rape’ (no figures are available, but independent travellers should be aware that other travellers are often the perpetrators of this crime), but in ‘drug assisted theft / kidnapping’ it is overwhelmingly ‘illegal drug’ which are used; adding the additional danger posed to victims health from consuming the drug itself.
Understanding ‘drink / food spiking’ and is the most important step in prevention and should go some way to helping people protect themselves from the real dangers. Being cautious of strangers behaviour or accepting food / drinks from them and in some cases the use of testing kits is a start. Having friends you trust to look after you, who are loyal, unlikely to disappear half way through the night and who will ensure you get home safely is the most effective protection.
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 Travel Health, Ethical and Responsible Travel, Travel Equipment, Travel Insurance, Destination Advice, Transport Options, Documentation, Travel Money and Insurance and more.Source – Evening Standard
Date – 16th October 2009
‘Date Rape’ or ‘Drug Assisted Rape / Sexual Assault’ is a serious issue for independent travellers, unfortunately the reality is often not well understood.
Anything which helps reduce the risks faced from ‘drug assisted rape’ should be welcomed and this lip gloss / testing strip can be one line of defence. There are some problems; how many strips are provided in comparison with the number of drinks which might be consumed? How co-ordinated will an alcohol consumer be after a few drinks to remember or even be able to complete the fiddly test? However something is always better than nothing.
What is much more important is understanding the nature of the problem and dispelling the myths.
‘Drink spiking’ is a very different problem in the UK to other parts of the world. In the UK the majority of ‘drink spiking’ cases are linked to sexual assaults and although not exclusively directed at women the majority of victims are women.
In other parts of the world ‘spiking’ is more commonly used as a means of facilitating theft or even kidnap; this means that both men and women are targeted. That should not take away that drink spiking is still used to facilitate sexual assault and rape.
So for independent travellers the strategies to protecting against being drugged need to be more deliberate and proactive. In the UK we generally consider drinks to be the usual vector for ‘spiking’, in many part of the world ‘food spiking’ is even more common.
The substances used also vary; in the UK alcohol is by far the most used drug in ‘date rape’ and abroad this may still be the case for ‘drug assisted rape’ (no figures are available, but independent travellers should be aware that other travellers are often the perpetrators of this crime), but in ‘drug assisted theft / kidnapping’ it is overwhelmingly ‘illegal drug’ which are used; adding the additional danger posed to victims health from consuming the drug itself.
Understanding ‘drink / food spiking’ and is the most important step in prevention and should go some way to helping people protect themselves from the real dangers. Being cautious of strangers behaviour or accepting food / drinks from them and in some cases the use of testing kits is a start. Having friends you trust to look after you, who are loyal, unlikely to disappear half way through the night and who will ensure you get home safely is the most effective protection.
At
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