An increasingly common phenomenon

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The latest news about “needle spiking” now arrive from Spain, where the authorities are investigating more and more cases of needle stick attacks to women in bars, nightclubs or massive events such as San Fermines.

It was precisely after the last San Fermín festivities that the first complaints of punctures to women in nightlife contexts were known in Spain. Since then there has been a trickle of cases in different Iberian provinces. For now, none of the complaints contain crimes against sexual freedom or crimes against property.

The phenomen is not new. Already in October 2021, The New York Times newspaper dedicated a long article to the subject with its epicenter then in Great Britain.

The cases occur in bars, nightclubs or massive events. Photo: AP

A new form of aggression

needle sticks or needle spiking is considered a new form of aggression towards women, a horrible variant on dropping drugs in drinks to get girls high.

The newspaper then reported the case of Lizzie Wilson18, who was standing in a crowded nightclub on a Monday night with three friends when felt a prick in the back. Ten minutes later, she was struggling to stay on her feet.

The teenager said she had heard of young women being injected with syringes in crowded clubs and immediately feared she was another victim. Her friends rushed her to the hospital, where spent hours disoriented and no feeling in the legs.

“I couldn’t control anything,” he said.

Youth with a new concern.  Photo: AP

Youth with a new concern. Photo: AP

The attacks never became massive in the UK, but they were numerous enough to turn on warning lights.

Reports of similar cases slowly began to trickle in from crowded pubs and nightclubs, in a variation of “spiking,” in which drugs are poured into someone’s drink, a crime that often affects women.

Most of the cases are women, but some young men they say they too have been victimized.

The pandemic

The phenomenon came with the thaw of pandemic restrictions, ruining a long-awaited return to party nights.

For criminology experts, punctures are a possible variation of adulteration of drinks, a phenomenon that in 2015 alone generated some 2,600 cases in England and Wales. But in perspective, the number is low.

Fiona Measham, professor and chair of criminology at the University of Liverpool and director of Loop, a charity that monitors drug use in nightlife, said that every year there are a few hundred cases across the country and described the risk as “pretty low.”

Mass events are fertile ground for these attacks.  Photo: Oli Scarff / AFP

Mass events are fertile ground for these attacks. Photo: Oli Scarff / AFP

Specifically about the needle stick, he said that each accusation should be investigated and taken seriously.

What is injected? There is a lot of speculation about this, especially on social media. In the case of the Wilson teenager, her doctor said she was likely injected ketamine, an anesthetic drug. But the fear and concern is that these punctures end up generating a disease such as hepatitis or HIV.

Other countries

In June of this year, The Washington Post also published a note on the subject, indicating that new cases of punctures had been registered in more European countries, such as Belgium, Holland and France. And now Spain.

The newspaper then explained that it is a very difficult crime to trace.

French police received more than 300 complaints of injections in various regions since late March and mid-June, but have made no arrests, according to local media reports.

Victims, many of them women, often report suffering memory loss or they notice lesions only later. Neighboring Belgium has seen reports of similar incidents at a nightclub, a football match and a Gay Pride festival.

It is not clear if drugs are being administered in the attacks. Doctors previously told The Washington Post that extremely thin needles as “fine as hair”, are easily accessible onlineas do prescription drugs, including pain relievers and opium-based drugs.

Needles are easy to get online.  Photo: Kerry Sheridan/AFP

Needles are easy to get online. Photo: Kerry Sheridan/AFP

Dawn Dines, founder of the non-profit organization Stamp Out Spiking, which works to combat binge drinking in Britain, told The Post that needle use remains “minuscule” compared to contamination from drinks. , but the effects can be similar.

Victims often feel “ashamed,” he said, and may feel guilty about not being able to remember the factscontributing to underreporting even though they are not to blame.

“It is a really difficult crime”, said. Possible motives could include assault, rape, human trafficking or even personal vendettas, she added. Dines called for better education of bar employees, security officials and those involved in the nightlife economy to stop crime.

Clarín newsroom with information from La Vanguardia, The New York Times and The Washington Post

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