Drug-facilitated sexual assault and chemical submission

Abstract

In recent years, the use of psychoactive substances for sexual assault has taken on a greater role. The practice of sexual crimes associated with drug use is called Drug-Facilitated Sexual Assault (DFSA), while 'Chemical Submission' (CS) is used to include all type of crimes related to this activity. This paper reviews the epidemiology of this type of offenses, the main characteristics of the chemical substances consumed and the profiles of victims and aggressors. There have been also addressed principal signs of clinical suspicion to detect possible victims and the keys to the toxicology screening in case the victim presents evidences of being subject to chemical submission.