DRUGGED: One of the most common ways date rape occurs is by slipping undetected drugs into women’s unattended drinks. Photo: Luca Kotton
Sara*, a 19-year-old Wits student, should have been studying for her end-of-year exams. Instead, she has spent the time struggling to deal with the emotional effects of having to face her rapist on campus.
Wits Vuvuzela knows of four young women, between the ages of 19 and 24, who have all been date-raped in the Braamfontein area. And all have no memory of it.
Drugs such as Rohypnol (used to treat insomnia), ketamine hydrochloride (anaesthetic) and gamma-Hydroxybutyric acid (used to treat narcolepsy), are used to spike women’s unattended drinks.
Raped today, forgotten tomorrow
Sara didn’t know anything had happened to her until she saw her rapist outside a lecture a few days later and he casually said: “Hey you, thanks for a great night.”
She didn’t know what he was talking about, but he told her they had met up at the Braamfontein club and had landed up back at his flat, where they had had sex.
“I had no idea what he was talking about. All I remembered was how I’d woken up the next morning feeling awful. I don’t even know how I got back to my friend’s place, I must have taxied by myself.”
Sara realised that, although she only remembered having two drinks, she must have been drugged, because she felt nauseas and vomited for nearly a week after the incident.
The other three young women discovered their rapes in different ways. Two were told by friends and the third saw a video of her rape, which was circulating on Whatsapp.
“I’d heard about this video that was going around,” said *Laura, a 23-year-old student at the University of Johannesburg. “It was of a girl being raped by two guys, but she was asleep. And then one of my friends showed it to me and it was of me.”
She immediately felt embarrassed and tried to ignore and forget about it, because she felt it was her fault – “something I was to blame for”. She had been out on a date with the guy who had drugged and raped her.
“I knew him from varsity, he’s in my class. He seemed like a nice guy, so I said yes to dinner and we went to [a bar] after,” she said. “He bought me a few drinks and that’s all I can remember.”
Unreported rapes
None of the women chose to report their rapes to the police, as they wanted to move on and forget about the experience. “I’m staying away from going out and drinking, at least until I’m ready. I just want to move on with my life,” Sara said.
“I know it isn’t my fault,” said Laura. “But I just want to stop thinking about it. No-one’s talking about the video anymore, I just hope that means it’s gone.”
They are both receiving weekly counselling and have decided to avoid going out for the time being.
According to the Wits Sexual Harassment Office (SHO), the perpetrators are seldom strangers. What people don’t understand, according to counsellor Maria Wanyane, is that “being on a date does not mean you have to sleep with them … or want sexual intercourse.”
The SHO has dealt with cases of date rape this year and in the past and, according to Wanyane, only female students have reported being raped by male students. When a student reports that they have been raped, their emotional state is reviewed. They are also taken to Milpark Hospital and given the option to report it to the police, if they have not already done so.
“You can’t wait a week until after the incident though,” said Wanyane. “You should go within 48 to 72 hours.”
She said that, while many students came to the SHO for help, very few decided to report their rapes to the police. They worried about the time they would spend in court, what their families would think and whether anyone would believe them.
“Many people judge and do not understand,” she said, referring to the stigma around rape.
The Wits Counselling and Careers Development Unit also provides supportive therapy to the survivors of rape and, although they were unable to comment on the number of cases of rape they had dealt with, they confirmed that “students will initially be seen for an intake” and were then able to receive regular counselling.
Although there was very little one can do to prevent it from happening, Wanyane said, “you should try and be with people who respect you and who you trust”. She also encouraged victims to seek help.
*not their real names