New figures have shown the number of ‘drink-spiking’ cases being reported has surged this year, according to a spokeswoman for Cork’s Sexual Violence Centre.
An Garda Siochana had a total of 22 reports from people who were spiked in Ireland in 2021, and have already received 40 in 2022 as the lethal trend continues to be seen.
While garda figures have increased, Dola Twomey from CSVC has warned there could be many more incidences - and says in her experience, victims rarely report their ordeal to Gardaí.
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Speaking to Newstalk’s The Hard Shoulder, Ms. Twomey said: “We are hearing every day, ‘I was spiked’, ‘My friend was spiked’, ‘My friend’s friends were spiked.’
“It’s something that has been happening all through the years.”
The centre created an online portal where people can report drink spiking and Ms. Twomey said, “In that period, which was January to April this year, we had over 100 people actually submit their experiences to our hub.”
She went on to say that things seem to have changed a lot and that culprits now view the drugging as “funny.”
“We’re looking at a phenomenon that has changed quite a bit,” she said.
“In the past, it wasn’t unusual for somebody to be spiked as a prelude to sexual assault.
“What’s happening now is that somehow, in some people’s brains, this is considered to be funny… and that’s why there is so much of it happening.”
Meanwhile, one TD has said action needs to be taken in order to avoid numbers increasing further, and suggested bringing in a basic rule for pubs.
Fine Gael Senator Micheál Carrigy said: “Every time you go into a Delhi, you’re going to get a plastic lid for your cup of coffee or your cup of tea,” he said.
“You go into every bar, there’s actually beer mats on the counter. So, I felt, why should we not put plastic lids in place to make young women, in particular, feel more safe?”
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