The French government is being called on to take measures to address cases of sexual abuse and assault committed using so-called date-rape drugs. Five months after the trial of Dominique Pellicot, who was convicted of drugging his wife so that dozens of strangers could rape her, a French parliamentary report has made 50 recommendations to address the use of the drugs.
The trial of Gisele Pelicot’s husband, who put drugs in her food and drink to sedate her in order to rape her, made global headlines and “created an electric shock”, MP Sandrine Josso, who co-authored the report, told the AFP news agency.
“All of society is looking to us,” she said. “We can no longer close our eyes or plug our ears, we cannot have a ‘low cost’ approach to these victims.”
Date rape drugs
Josso and Senator Veronique Guillotin were asked in April 2024 by then Prime Minister Gabriel Attal to report on the use of drugs that incapacitate a person, and makes them vulnerable to sexual assault.
Josso filed a complaint against Senator Joel Guerrieau, accusing him of using such drugs on her in November 2023 in order to sexually assault her.
For the report, the lawmakers spoke to more than 100 people and came up with 50 recommendations for the government, 15 of which should be implemented – and funded – as of this year, they said.
The report recommends launching a yearly national awareness campaign, and to add funding to add education about the use of these drugs as part of the sexual and relational education required for students, which has caused controversy in recent months.
Chemically facilitated violence
The national platform that compiles statistics about chemically facilitated violence (CRAFS) analysed 1,229 crimes involving drugs in 2022.
The crimes are primarily committed by men against women, including girls under the age of 18, at school, at parties, at work or within families.
The report recommends that France’s criminal code should include intoxication or being under the influence of narcotics as an aggravating circumstance for crimes of rape and sexual assault.
It also calls for an update of regulations on gathering evidence, to allow hospitals to preserve evidence of crimes involving such drugs for future prosecution.
(with AFP)
