The Andalusian Health Service (SAS) has attended 65 possible cases of people falling victims to Drug-facilitated Sexual Assault (DFSA) or date-rape (mind-altering) drugs up to yesterday.

Sixty one of the victims were women but four were men with the attacks occuring in all the the region’s provinces, with the exception of Jaén.

Most cases were in Cádiz where there were 30 reported cases, followed by Huelva with ten, Sevilla with eight; Málaga with seven, Córdoba and Granada with four each, and Almeria with two reported cases.

The MP for Salud y Consumo, Catalina García, explained that they are working on a new protocol to combat this spate of attacks (which are occuring right across the country and not only in Andalucía) but that they need to work on the coordination with the Federación de empresarios de Ocio Nocturno (nightlife sector) to roll it out.

During an interview on Canal Sur Radio, she said that the problem is very worrying, saying that the culprits must know firstly that they are committing a criminal offence and secondly, that there is a risk of transmitting infections via the syringe needles used.

The attacks occur on crowded dance floors or on outside pub terraces.

Editorial comment: those 65 cases are only the ones that have been reported by the victims but many young women discover the mark left by the injection the next day and do not report it, probably thinking that it was an insect bite.

(News: Andalucia)