Drink Spiking Branded An ‘Epidemic’ As Shocking Statistics Reveal How Many Young Women Are Targeted
Published
A survey conducted by the Alcohol Education Trust has revealed how many young women are targeted by spiking.
The issue has been branded an ‘epidemic’ by Helena Conibear, the head of the Alcohol Education Trust (AET), as countless social media users have taken to various platforms to share their stories of having their drinks tampered with or being spiked by injection.
Conibear has called for bars and clubs to search people at the door to help reduce instances of spiking, as well as introducing testing kits on site for those who may be concerned.
The survey of 750 people found ‘35% of drinks were spiked at private parties, 28% in nightclubs, 13% in bars and 7% at festivals’, according to Conibear, per The Mirror.
She commented: ‘This can happen to anyone, anywhere and to any drink. It really is an epidemic.’
As many as one in seven women aged between 16-25 reported being targeted, though 92% of victims chose not to report their experience to the police. Of those who did, the survey revealed that nothing happened as a result.
The news comes as the Commons Home Affairs Committee tasked police with assessing the scale of people being spiked by ‘needles’ in nightclubs around the country, with Home Secretary Priti Patel asking police for an update on the issue following a number of reports.
One 18-year-old criminology student described her experience of being spiked by injection to UNILAD, recalling how she woke up ‘in the club toilets completely floored, locked in a stall’ while a staff member banged on the door, ‘ordering’ her ‘to get out the club’.
In a bid to have clubs and law enforcement take action against spiking, women across the country are planning a boycott of clubs on Wednesday, October 27.
If you have a story you want to tell, send it to UNILAD via [email protected]
Topics: News, Alcohol, Attack, Now, Priti Patel
