Hundreds join global support group for survivors of drug-facilitated rape

Hundreds of people have joined an international support group for victims of rape where the victim is drugged and unconscious. Many survivors, including about 80 in the UK, have come forward. Two women, Zoe Watts and Amanda Stanhope, started the group after they themselves were repeatedly attacked by their partners while they were unconscious.

Watts and Stanhope are now calling for stronger laws to prevent men from sharing images and videos of sexual assaults and rape online. Recently, the National Crime Agency announced they had discovered a large, international group involved in drug-facilitated sexual assault. They identified over 270 individuals connected to an online forum they started investigating last year, but believe many more online groups are still unknown to law enforcement.

Watts started the support network, and said hundreds of people from different countries have joined. She mentioned that many women who reach out describe symptoms they’ve experienced for years and realize what happened to them only after seeing images online. Watts believes that as more people become aware, more women will feel able to share their experiences.

The campaign they started is called End Eye Check. It refers to a practice where an attacker might pull back a victim’s eyelids to show they are unconscious, often before filming the assault. These videos can then be searched for online.

Watts discovered her situation after her husband confessed one Sunday that he had been putting crushed sleeping pills into her tea for over ten years and raping her while she slept. He is currently serving an 11-year prison sentence for several crimes, including rape. Stanhope also experienced repeated rape by her partner while she was unconscious due to prescription medication. She would often wake up confused, in different clothes, and with bruises.

Her partner was charged with rape and sexual assault, but he died before his court case. Stanhope believes he shared videos and images of her, but she doesn’t know if they were uploaded online. She stressed the importance of dealing with online content, as it has helped this crime spread quickly worldwide. Stanhope decided to campaign for better support for victims, feeling she was let down by those who should have helped her.

Stanhope explained that she found out what was happening when she woke up. However, some other women only learn they are victims when the police inform them after finding a video. She described this as a horrific and traumatic experience, noting the lack of dedicated support available. Both women were inspired by the story of Gisèle Pelicot, a French woman who was drugged and raped for years by her husband and many others. Pelicot chose to have a public trial to raise awareness.

Watts and Stanhope acknowledge that Pelicot’s case raised awareness, but they feel there’s still a long way to go. They want medical professionals to be better trained to recognise the signs of such assaults and for young people to be educated about the dangers. Watts questioned whether doctors consider drug-facilitated rape when a woman experiences memory loss, fatigue, or sickness, suggesting they often don't. She believes a significant cultural change is needed for people to understand that this crime can happen to people close to them.