DATE RAPE CAN HAPPEN ANYWHERE

Whitecourt Not Immune To 'Roofies'

Going out for a night on the town and having a few drinks may seem
like a harmless act to most people. However, the risk of being drugged
and date raped, especially for women, is a serious possibility to take
into consideration.

Although no cases of date rape in Whitecourt have been reported to
police, RCMP Staff Sgt. Mike Martel is urging people to stay in
control of situations that could pose a risk to personal safety,
because date rape can happen.

"Be in control of what you do," Martel said. "If you're at an
intersection where there's no stop signs, and you're going to cross
the road, chances are, you'll probably get hit."

Acts such as leaving a drink unattended, taking drugs, drinking to
excess, or going out with a group of people you don't know very well
can be like the "intersection" that Martel referred to. They are all
considered risks that can eventually lead to putting control into
someone else's hands.

Drugs like Rohypnol, more commonly referred to as "roofies,"
Gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) or Ketamine could be slipped into a
beverage without anyone noticing, according to the University of
Alberta Sexual Assault Centre. These drugs are strong sedatives and
can have dramatic consequences, such as memory loss or even death if
they're mixed with alcohol. These "roofies" are tasteless, colourless
and odorless, so there's no way for victims to really know if it's
been slipped into their drink.

Martel said that because "roofies" cause memory loss, it's possible
that a victim may wake up somewhere and not know how they got there,
what happened the night before or who they were with. These incidents
can be frightening, he said, adding the best thing to do to prevent
them is to have a decent sense of street smarts.

"Don't put yourself in a vulnerable position, because people will take
advantage of you," he explained.

Often, date rape cases involving drugs occur anywhere where alcohol is
served or where there is a party-like atmosphere.

People who are most at risk for date rape are usually in their early
20's, and the issue has been a reality for many university students.

A recent survey conducted by the University of Alberta Sexual Assault
Centre concluded that 54.2 per cent of reported student sexual assault
cases involved alcohol or date rape drugs.

There are no official Canada-wide statistics for date rape cases
involving drugs, however various reports continue to show that it is
happening, according to the Canadian Federation of Students. Only one
per cent of actual date rape cases are reported, often because it's
hard for the victim to accurately recall what happened, the Women
Against Violence Against Women group says.

Martel said another key way for people to avoid being sedated by a
stranger, is to go out to local establishments at an earlier time,
such as 10 p.m., rather than going at 1:00 a.m. when people may be
intoxicated and less able to control their actions.