§ Vera BairdTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what campaigns his Department is funding directed at warning people of the danger of drug rape; and what plans he has to do so in the future. [129618]
§ Caroline FlintWhen the drug Gammahydroxybutyrate (GHB), commonly used in drug rape, was outlawed by the Government in July 2003, we ensured that this was accompanied by high media coverage.
In addition, the Eastern Government Office Drug Team recently supported production of a new drug rape awareness video called Spiked! The Production of the video was funded through Drugscope's Millennium Awards scheme. The video was launched at the end of September and will be shown in public and university cinemas until November in Eastern Region cinema during screenings of newly released films. These showings are supported by the Regional Screen Agency for the East of England. The stylish but hard-hitting infomercial aims to increase awareness of the dangers of drug rape and make people aware of how they can protect themselves.
Finally the Government's new drug awareness campaign, FRANK also supplies information about date rape. The FRANK website www.talktofrank.com pays particular attention to GHB. It warns the reader that GHB has been linked to rape cases. It states '…because it's almost tasteless it's easily slipped in a drink'.