AN UNGUARDED MOMENT, A LIFETIME OF PAIN

It's party time at a friend-of-a-friend's house and the teen is
enjoying a couple of illicit drinks.

Later, she can remember kissing a guy, but then there's a blank. A
total blank.

She wakes up feeling sick or just plain yucky and, as the fog clears,
wonders whether someone slipped something into her drink.

As Christmas parties get underway it is a scenario likely to be played
out more frequently and anyone drinking at a bar or at a private party
needs to watch their drink at all times, say police and
counsellors.

And, if someone is sexually assaulted, he or she should report it as
soon as possible as evidence of date rape drugs disappears within
hours, they say.

But, often, even if there is clear evidence of sexual assault, teens
are reluctant to report it, say staff at Victoria Women's Sexual
Assault Centre.

Sexual Assault Centre figures show more young women reporting assaults
over the last four years and, concurrently, an increase in
drug-assisted sexual assaults, but Sally Gose, direct services manager
at the Sexual Assault Centre worries that many more are not getting
the help they need.

"Probably half the drug-assisted assaults are by acquaintances or
brief acquaintances -- someone they just met," she said. "That makes
it very difficult."

Drug-assisted assaults mean the victim is under the influence of
alcohol or other drugs that affect judgment, whether it is something
taken deliberately or a substance that has been surreptitiously
slipped into a drink.

Young women sometimes feel they were partly to blame because they had
too much to drink, but, technically, if they were inebriated, it means
they cannot give consent, Gose said.

Between April 2005 and March this year, 40 young women between the
ages of 13 and 19 contacted the centre and reported being sexually
assaulted.

That compares to 11 teens who contacted the centre during the fiscal
year 2003/2004.

The 40 women and two young men were among 110 clients who reported
assaults within 72 hours, meaning forensic medical exams could be
carried out.

The centre has also seen a 10-per-cent increase in young people coming
in for longer term counseling. Between April 2005 and March this year,
25 people between the ages of 13 and 19 were counseled, with the
number of sessions ranging from 12 to 53.

Booze is the substance most commonly used to help someone lose their
inhibitions, and spiking drinks at a party or ordering doubles for
someone in a bar is an age-old practice. And, in Greater Victoria, the
danger of date rape drugs has moved from bars and clubs to private
parties.

"You see the headlines about bars, but it's house parties where people
have their guard down," Gose said.

During the last fiscal year the centre dealt with 36 cases where it
was suspected a date rape drug was administered.

Of those, five took place in bars, with subsequent assaults by
strangers. Nineteen occurred at house parties, with 14 assaults by
acquaintances and five by strangers. Twelve occurred in other places,
such as on the street, or the person assaulted did not know where the
drug was administered. Nine of those assaults were committed by
strangers and three by acquaintances.

There are several substances commonly used as date-rape drugs. GHB --
gamma-hydroxybutyrate -- is a cheaply made, colourless, odourless
liquid that often contains substances such as drain cleaners and
superglue removers -- and Ketamine is a horse tranquilizer that makes
people feel spaced out and unable to control their bodies. Both have
been found in Victoria, but Rohypnol, the best-known date rape drug,
which is illegal in Canada, is rare in the capital region.

Ecstasy, which lowers inhibitions, Adavan or over-the-counter cough
medicines are also sometimes used, Gose said.

"Especially if someone has alcohol on board, there's an additive
effect," she said.

"And with some drugs, people can be walking and talking, but there's
an amnesia effect."

Gose said getting immediate help after an assault can deflect years of
problems.

"In the past, youth would say, 'Ugh, that was awful,' and just carry
on," she said.

However, an immediate response by trained counsellors can minimize the
likelihood of developing full-blown post traumatic stress disorder,
she said.

Too often, the Sexual Assault Centre sees older women who are haunted
by flashbacks, depression and thoughts of self-injury or suicide, Gose
said.

"It's huge. . . These things can lie dormant and fester for decades."