Drug Assisted Rape
Much of the recent media coverage has sensationalised the use of drugs like Rohypnol and GHB to assist with rape, however many more women are raped or sexually assaulted whilst under the influence of alcohol.
This is not to say that drug assisted rape does not happen or that drugs may not be given together with alcohol, but it is more likely that a woman will be given larger measures or cocktails of alcohol without her knowledge or encouraged to drink more quickly. This can impair a woman’s ability to make decisions or reduce her ability to give or withhold her consent to sexual contact.
It must be remembered that the responsibility for rape lies firmly with the perpetrator, no matter how much the woman is under the influence or drugs or alcohol, even if she has taken them herself.
It is common for a woman to experience guilt and blame if she is raped in these circumstances. This can compound all the other feelings that she will experience, particularly because of societal attitudes that restrict women’s behaviour.
However by blaming women or women accepting responsibility for their part in a rape or sexual assault, they absolve the perpetrator for the onus, which is completely his.
