2007 06: Date rape: Beware! The danger is in the drink

NST online. Local News. 28/6/07

Going out with a guy you like may no longer mean an evening of fun. It was reported yesterday that 60 per cent of rape cases happened on dates. EILEEN NG, JENNIFER GOMEZ, JEEVA ARULAMPALAM and SHUHADA ELIS look at the issue of date rape and the precautionary measures to take.

KUALA LUMPUR: The next time you go on a date, be careful of your drinks.Although most girls have heard this warning often, many have still become victims of date rapes due to spiked drinks.

It was reported in the New Straits Times yesterday that 60 per cent of reported rape cases happened on dates — and they are hard to prove in court.The date-rape drugs not only render the victims unconscious but also make them unable to recall the incidents.

The drugs, like Rophynol and GHB (Gamma-Hydroxybuty- rate), are cheap (between RM10 and RM100 per pill), tasteless and colourless — making it difficult for those on a date to realise that their drinks had been spiked.

Rophynol and GHB’s effects are similar to intoxication, and they take effect between five and 30 minutes after the drug is ingested.

Another date rape drug is "Fry", a generic term for marijuana cigarettes, marijuana-laced cigars and cigarettes or cigars soaked in embalming fluid.

The fluid, which contains phencyclidine, causes blurred vision, short-term memory loss and headaches.

Most date-rape victims are teenagers and women in their 20s, who are socially active and naive. The perpetrators could either be trusted friends or acquaintances.

The Kuala Lumpur Hospital sees about 20 to 30 rape cases monthly, with about five to 10 cases involving teenagers.

Its emergency department and one-stop crisis centre head Datuk Dr Abu Hassan Asaari Abdullah said most of the cases were either statutory or date rapes.

He said date rape usually involved a girl going out with someone she knew and getting raped when she was intoxicated or drugged.

Amelia Kaur, the training manager of a counter intelligence company, The Spycatcher, said victims who consumed spiked drinks would become unconscious and not remember anything.

Amelia, who conducts seminars on rape prevention, said it was due to this fact that many victims preferred not to lodge a police report as they did not have the evidence to support their allegation of rape.

"They won’t remember where it happened, how or with whom," she said.

All Women’s Action Society spokesperson Ho Yock Lin said date-rape victims find it harder to go to the police than those who had been raped by strangers.

"It is easier to relate the crime to the police, counsellors or a judge when you have been raped by a stranger, but when the rapist is someone known to the victim, it is an uncomfortable process.

"Additionally, there could be peer pressure from other friends not to expose the rapist." For example, she said, in one of the date-rape cases handled by the society, the victim was pressured by her parents to marry the rapist, but she refused. "She was only 19 when it happened," said Ho.

Women’s Aid Organisation (WAO) president Ivy Josiah said that response to the sexual assault helpline set up by the WAO in 2002 had been poor.

"Those who called related incidents that took place one or two years ago. Obviously, they feel there is a stigma attached to being raped."

WAO social worker Jessie Ang said the organisation received an average of two calls monthly from rape victims. Counselling was offered to rebuild their confidence.

"It is common for rape victims to feel ashamed and even dirty. If they want to take legal action, we will help them with the process," she said.