SEX ASSAULT PREVENTION GROUP TARGETS NIGHTCLUB CROWD

A regional sexual assault services group is taking its message on the road
- -- actually to area nightclubs. The Oakville-based Sexual Assault and
Violence Intervention Services of Halton (SAVIS) -- formerly the Halton
Rape Crisis Centre -- set up its first information booth at Burlington's
popular NRG/Kingdom nightclub last weekend to raise awareness about the
dangers of date-rape drugs.

SAVIS intends to set up similar booths in Halton this summer, including one
at Philthy Mcnasty's in Oakville in late August.

The NRG/Kingdom booth was set up near the club's front entrance, from 9:30
p.m. until around midnight, to remind hundreds of party-goers expected to
come through the doors each night to be cautious of their drinks possibly
being spiked with potentially-fatal drugs.

The more common ones used are GHB (Gamma Hydroxybutyrate) in liquid form
and Rohypnol, in pill form, both marketed once as general anesthetics.

They can easily be slipped into a drink -- by the waving of a hand over a
glass with drops from a tiny bottle -- putting a person, the target usually
a female, into an altered, sometimes euphoric state and leaving them
vulnerable to sexual assault.

Also, SAVIS members will discuss sexual assault in general and the help
available for those in crisis.

Lyndsay Daniel, education co-ordinator for SAVIS, said the issue of
date-rape drugs is a reality and having knowledge about what it is is the
first step to people protecting themselves.

NRG, on Plains Road East, was chosen as the site of the first forum of this
kind, she said, because it's popular with a diverse crowd of older and
younger patrons.

The crowd will be all-ages tomorrow night and SAVIS wants to get its
important message out to as many people as possible.

"It's better for them to see our faces to remind them to be safe and to be
careful while in the process of picking up that drink that they may have
left for the last five minutes," Daniel, 25.

"This is about awareness -- awareness with a capital 'A' -- and is not
about finger pointing. I don't want to overwhelm the patrons."

One of the many dangers with date rape drugs, a serious concern since the
mid-to late-90s, is that they tend to be odourless, colourless and
tasteless. When slipped into a drink, it is virtually undetectable and
makes unsuspecting people easy prey since they may black out and not
remember the sexual assault.

Common street names for date rape drugs include Ruffies, Roofies, Forget
Pill, Gook, Easy Lay among many others.

Halton police are thrilled SAVIS is taking a proactive approach to helping
protect club-goers from sexual assault.

"Education is everything," said Det.-Const. Dave Stewart of the Drug and
Morality Bureau of Halton Regional Police, adding the NRG venue is a great
way to reach people to get them to listen. "It assists in the battle in
dealing with this and preventing people from being victimized."

If out at a club, for example, Stewart urged if someone thinks they or a
friend may have been drugged, seek medical attention immediately. And bring
the drink with you so it can be tested. If it has been spiked, police can
use it as evidence as part of an investigation, he said.

Daniel said the ultimate goal, she said, is to extend it to bars and clubs
across Halton and to train bouncers and bar staff to recognize the signs of
date-rape drug activity.

"By making a presence in the clubs, we can start to build a partnership,"
Daniel said.

SAVIS' 24-hour, confidential crisis number is 905-875-1555.

For more information, call SAVIS at 905-825-3622 or visit www.savisofhalton.org.