'DATE RAPE' DANGER RISING IN TERRITORY

There were 200 sexual assaults reported in the territory last year, and it
looks like the rising violence against women over the past summer will make
this a "banner year," says a territorial victim services worker.

Some of the victims report they believe they were drugged, Bonnie Ross told
the audience during Monday's annual crime prevention conference in Whitehorse.

One victim, Ross said, said she was conscious for the entire assault, but
was unable to do anything.

"She could not move, but knew what was happening," said Ross. "She could
not move because she was paralyzed, and she was raped."

And there are increasing reports from women who suspect they have been the
victim of date rape drugs being placed in their drinks without their knowledge.

Ross said there was a mother-daughter team out for a drink when they became
very whoozy, but were able to call a cab and make it home.

They know, fortunately, nothing happend to them, she said.

Other women have reported a void in their memories, not being able to
recall a significant chunk of the evening but waking up in a strange place.

A middled-aged woman in a Whitehorse coffee shop began to feel whoozy and
decided to go to her car, where she was sexually assaulted in broad
daylight, Ross said.

There are cases of house parties involving unconscious victims being
gang-raped.

"I would have to say from our experience, for many young women in the Yukon
their first sexual experience is a violent one," Ross told the audience.
"We are at our wits' end about what to do about it."

The 200 or so cases officials know are only the cases that have been
reported, said Ross, suggesting a significant number go unreported. And of
those that victim services workers are notified of, only a fraction result
in criminal convictions because victims are generally reluctant to go to
the police.

Ross, RCMP Cpl. Peter Greenlaw of the drug awareness section and Sandra
Armstrong from the Yukon's Alcohol and Drug Secretariat hosted a lunch-hour
panel discussion about sexual assaults, date rape drugs and the need for
continued support.

In a case, for instance, where a woman reports she was raped but does not
remember -- and the victims do know they've been raped even if they can't
remember -- the victim is advised to get tested for the presence of
sexually-transmitted diseases.

In addition to the rape, the woman or young girl must go through the
emotional strain of getting an STD test, or the trauma of having to subject
themselves to a rape-testing kit at the hospital, which can be as
traumatizing as the rape itself, Ross said.

Victims must be assured that rape is not their fault, that it's not the
clothes they wear nor the mannerisms they display -- that rape is not their
fault, Armstrong said.

Women, it was suggested by one audience member, also have a responsibility
to not put themselves in a vulnerable situation, like going alone to the
apartment of a man they don't know all that well, or getting into elevators
with a man and no one else.

Ross agreed there are precautions that women can take to increase their
safety. But even in a case where a woman makes a seemingly bad choice and
is raped, it is still rape, and they must have the support and assurance
that it's not their fault. Going to a man's apartment for a cup of coffee
is not an invitation for intercourse, she said.

Armstrong said women, particularly young women, might feel embarrassed if
they do not comply with a date's desire for sex. "Know your limits," she
said. "And if somebody gets disrespectful of your limits, you say stop -- now."

Men seem to have this view that when a man says no, it means no, but when a
woman says no, its the beginning of negotiations, the audience was told.

Armstrong said there are common practices women can adopt to increase their
safety and that of their friends. Use the buddy system; always go out with
a friend and look out for each other, she said.

Never share drinks, and don't drink from things like punch bowls at
parties. Always ensure that when you're at a party, you mix your own
drinks, or are the one to open a beer or other capped beverages.

Even at a bush party, if you have to go to the washroom, bring your drink
with you, Armstrong said. The RCMP corporal said most date rape drugs
cannot be detected in a drink.

And he advised that when out with friends, the best way to watch out for
each other is to be aware of each other.

If a friend has had only one or two drinks but is acting abnormal, there
may be a problem, and there should be a further effort to determine just
what is going on, he recommended.

He also cautioned individuals who take date rape drugs on purpose for the
kick it gives them.

"What they don't know is these depressants depress your ability and
judgment. They depress your ability to understand what is going on; they
depress your natural ability; and they make you want to be close to people
- -- they increase your sex drive." Armstrong also pointed out that any drugs
available on the street are available at the local high schools.

Greenlaw said if parents come across a capsule of unknown substance and
want to have it tested to determine what it is, they can bring it to the
RCMP and it will be tested.

Generally speaking, said Greenlaw, one-third of capsules sold as drugs are
not, but are baking powder or drywall dust; one third are the real things;
and one-third are a soup of different drugs.

An individual who may be looking to buy ecstacy could end up with an
entirely different mix, like a capsule full of speed, he said. Drug
traffickers, he suggested, are not exactly full of scruples, and will tell
people they're getting exactly what they asked for, just because they want
their money.