DATE RAPE DRUGS PREVALENT IN SUDBURY

Date rate drugs are not simply a big-city phenomenon - they're
prevalent in Sudbury.

Sudbury Sexual Assault Centre has been getting calls about various
date rape drugs - from the veterinarian drug ketamine to the rave drug
GHB - for about two years now.

"Yes they're here in Sudbury," Stephanie Breault, a counsellor and
program co-ordinator, said at an open house held at the centre as part
of Sexual Assault Awareness Month.

The drugs have been slipped into drinks at local bars as well as at
house parties, she said.

Breault advises women to use the "buddy system" and avoid open drinks
such as punch. Signs that a person has been dosed with one of the date
rape drugs include dizziness and blackouts.

"You may have had one drink, but it feels like 20," said
Breault.

Louise Nikodem, financial co-ordinator at the centre, said many don't
realize that a woman can be sexual assaulted by a boyfriend or husband.

In fact "stranger rape" represents a small percentage of all sexual
assaults, she said. Most rapes are inflicted on women and men by
family members and close friends of the family.

Education is one component of what goes on at the Sexual Assault
Centre.

Other services the centre provides include accompanying women who have
been sexually assaulted to court, the police station or the hospital,
one-on-one counselling, as well as support groups for survivors of
sexual assault.