Special features
Range of measures needed to monitor and reduce drug-facilitated sexual assault
(7.3.2008, LISBON) Over the past 10 years, there has been a rise in the number of reports of drugs and alcohol being used to immobilise victims for the purpose of sexual assault. Population surveys carried out in six EU countries suggest that up to 20% of women experience some form of sexual assault in their adult lifetime.
‘A lack of appropriate monitoring systems means that the full scale of drug-facilitated sexual assault (DFSA) remains unknown’, says the EU drugs agency. In a technical paper released today ahead of International Women’s Day, the EMCDDA names better monitoring of the phenomenon as an ‘essential first step in addressing the problem’. It also acknowledges recent initiatives in this area that represent a ‘positive development for women’.
