As Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM) comes to a close, we want to take a moment to remind our community that raising awareness for sexual assault prevention and response and supporting survivors is a yearlong effort. This April, alongside Take Back the Night rallies, community events, social media campaigns, and award ceremonies to celebrate SAAM, we also saw a high number of national news stories about sexual violence. This included the CNN story “Exposing a global ‘rape academy,’” that uncovered a hidden, online world where members of chat groups trade advice on how to drug and rape their partners. Many of these sites include graphic videos of unconscious women being sexually assaulted, receiving millions of views a month. The three survivors profiled in the CNN report were drugged and assaulted by their husbands or long-time partners; men they trusted.
The Maryland Coalition Against Sexual Assault (MCASA) and the Montgomery County Commission for Women condemn these abhorrent acts and reaffirm that we support and believe survivors. We will stay diligent in our work to prevent sexual assault, advocate for accessible, compassionate care for survivors of sexual violence, and work to hold offenders accountable.
The crimes exposed by CNN are what is known as drug-facilitated sexual assault, which occurs when a perpetrator uses drugs to compromise an individual’s ability to consent to sexual activity. Perpetrators use drugs to sedate an individual, prevent resistance to assault, and impair memory. The substances used in these assaults inhibit an individual’s capacity to consent to, or resist, sexual activity, and may even disrupt or prevent the encoding of memories of the assault. In many cases, survivors will not remember the assault taking place.
If you believe you experienced a drug-facilitated sexual assault, you should consider getting tested as soon as possible. Some drugs leave your system in 12-24 hours, and many drugs are untraceable after 72 hours, so moving fast can help ensure accurate results.
Some symptoms that may indicate that someone was exposed to drugs without their consent or knowledge include:
It’s important to note that crimes like the ones detailed by CNN could have been legal in Maryland until just three years ago. In 2023, the Maryland Legislature passed a bill support by MCASA that no longer allowed marriage to be a defense to some sex crimes. Effective October 1, 2023, this law eliminates decades old exemptions and ensures that victims of sexual assault by a spouse have the same rights to pursue charges as unmarried individuals. Before this law was passed, the drug-facilitated sexual assaults encouraged by this online community could have been excused and thrown out of court, blocking survivors from seeking justice. This reminds us of the importance of our work to advocate for new and better laws to support survivors, hold offenders accountable, and ensure survivors have access to the legal and healing resources they deserve.
Getting medical attention after an assault is very important, even if you do not have visible injuries. Sexual Assault Forensic Examinations (SAFEs) are free forensic medical exams offered in hospitals across the state of Maryland. If you need medical care and evidence collection after a rape or sexual assault, you must go to a hospital that has a SAFE program. Testing for drug-facilitated sexual assault may be available as part of a sexual assault forensic exam. To locate your nearest SAFE program, please visit: mcasa.org/survivors/getting-medical-attention. Check with the program nearest you to see if they have drug testing available.
Maryland’s 17 Rape Crisis and Recovery Centers provide free, confidential services to adult and child survivors. To find information on your local Rape Crisis Center, including hotline numbers and available services, please visit: mcasa.org/survivors/find-a-rape-crisis-center.
The Sexual Assault Legal Institute (SALI) provides comprehensive legal services related to sexual violence to victims and survivors of sexual assault in Maryland, including child sexual abuse. For legal inquiries, please contact SALI at 301-565-2277.
