Chemical submission, the new weapon of rapists ?

Revealed by several cases of sexual abuse, cases of chemical submission seem to be more numerous in recent years. While some are opportunistic, others intervene in a private setting.

While the trial of the man nicknamed the "Tinder rapist" is scheduled to be held from March 18 until March 18 At the end of the month, the question of chemical submission will finally be addressed by the courts. This technique, aimed at à drugging a person in order to then abuse them, sexually in this case, is suspected of being an integral part of the modus operandi of' nbsp;Salim Berrada, the accused in the Tinder rapist case, according to the conclusions of the investigation. As a reminder, the man is suspect. of having raped her 13 young women and having attacked them sexually four others between 2014 and 2016.

This case is not the first to happen highlight the potential chemical submission as a weapon of sexual predator. The so-called Mazan rape affair, ;nbsp;in which a six-year-old is accused of of having drugged his wife  to deliver her as sexual object &agrave around fifty unknown people, has also caused a lot of ink to flow. For ten years, between 2010 and 2020, the man organized the rape of his wife on the internet without the latter being aware of the market; or sexual violence to which she was subjected.

More recently, the case between Deputy Sandrine Josso and Senator Joël Guerriau have once again highlighted the scourge of chemical submission. The elected official of Loire-Atlantique carried out her complaint against the parliamentarian for having drugged her without his knowledge and the man was killed. indicted for "administration of a substance with a view to committing rape or sexual assault". All these cases will be judged, in particular that of the Mazan rapes from September to September 2019. December 2024.

Chemical submission, a more widespread phenomenon ?

Chemical submission is not a new technique, the proof with the dates of the suspected facts in the previously cited cases . The diversion of certain medicines criminal purposes had already been established pushed the pharmaceutical industries à make certain products more easily detectable, notably by color, and make others accessible only by prescription.

The National Security Agency Medicines has been looking at the subject for a long time and set up in 2003, with the help of the Paris addictovigilance center, an annual observation system to identify cases of chemical submission recorded throughout France. However, in recent years, the figures prove that the number of reports has significantly increased and even tripled. between 2021 and 2022: the ANSM counted 593 cases of “drug-facilitated attacks”, compared to 727 cases; in 2021 and 2,000 in 2022 indicated Leila Chaouachi, doctor of pharmacy in charge of the national survey of ;egrave;s of the ANSM, on France Inter.

Until'à Very recently, chemical submission was understood as the consequence of GHB alone, known as the "rapist drug", but most often it is medications that are involved: sleeping pills, anxiolytics, analgesics or antihistamines, the specialist lists. In 2022, 56% of cases were due to medicines, the rest to be paid various drugs.

While not all cases are necessarily chemical submissions – some may fall under the "vulnerabilityé chemical" after the victim has voluntarily taken substances – they give an idea of ​​the extent of the phenomenon. Caroline Darian, founder of the M'endors pas  association and daughter of the victim of the Mazan rape case, agrees with this and ensures in La Provence that the chemical submissions are not "isolated cases" but represent "a societal scourge" which "affects all levels of society, all socio-professional categories and all &ages." While chemical submission is often reduced to slippery GHB; in a glass lefté unsupervised in a nightclub, "the realityé This is because it most often happens in the intra-family and private sphere" according to Caroline Darian. The freedom of speech which followed after the media coverage of certain cases explains in particular the increasing number of reports. But these figures remain fragmentary, because they cannot take into account all the victims who do not file a complaint or who are unaware of having been victimized. drugged and abused.

What about chemical submission in the law ?

Chemical submission is not explicitly recognized as an offense or crime under French criminal law. It is simply mentioned as an aggravating circumstance in the event of rape or sexual assault targeting a drugged person. An addition permitted by a 2018 law which makes these acts punishable by five years in prison and a fine of €50,000. "That doesn't seem to have scared much" people,” believes Caroline Darian, however.

Despite; the proliferation of cases on sexual abuse involving chemical submission, neither the Ministry of Justice nor that of Health did not take up the subject, as Caroline Darian also pointed out. But in March 2024, a government mission on the fight against attacks by chemical submission was carried out. open and confided &agrav; MP Sandrine Josso. The elected official and the association have also decided to do so. to work together on this subject, particularly for the care of victims of chemical submission. For six months, the deputy will question the various actors in the fight against attacks by chemical submission to take stock of the situation and propose solutions. eacute;adapted answers.