Long remained taboo and unknown to the general public, chemical submission has come out of the shadows, from the Mazan rape trial. This Monday, May 12, MP Sandrine Josso (herself a victim of this phenomenon) and senator Véronique Guillotin submitted a report to the government, aimed at “stemming this phenomenon”.
What is chemical submission?
As a reminder, chemical submission is the fact of administering a psychoactive substance (a medication diverted from its use, for example) in order to drug the other without his knowledge and make him undergo an assault, often sexual.
The conclusions of the report devoted to the fight against submission chemicals are clear: it is necessary to detect suspicious situations, support the victims, and give professionals of health and justice the concrete tools to intervene.
“Our message is clear: if we want to stem this phenomenon, we must set up a real state policy with the means that go with it” Sandrine Josso told AFP.
Because this scourge is far from anecdotal. In 2022, 1,229 cases of probable chemical subsession and vulnerability had been identified by the CRAF (Reference Center for Aggressions facilitated by substances).
And the following year, in 2023, “127 people were implicated under chemical submission only: among the 65 prosecutable procedures, 62 were effectively, giving rise to firm imprisonment sentences of an average duration of 8.9 years“Specifies the report.
A phenomenon still too often overlooked by health professionals
Worrying figures, especially since they would only represent a “infinitesimal estimate of situations”.
Asked about the subject for a previous article, Dr. Ghada Hatem, founder of the Maison des Femmes in Saint-Denis, confirmed:
“”Doctors have known festive chemical submissions for a long time in bars or nightclubs. From now on, they are also aware of the chemical submission that takes place in the private sphere, without GHB but with simple medications “.
For Sandrine Josso, “Mazan’s trial has created an electroshock, the whole company looks at us: we can no longer close our eyes or plug our ears, we can no longer afford to have a low-cost policy compared to the victims “.
A call to act to help victims, without waiting
In their report, the two women formulate around fifty recommendations, including 15 deemed priority to implement “From the year 2025, in the Social Security financing bill 2026 and the 2026 finance bill“.
They range from prevention to judicial treatment, including the support of victims and support for research. Sandrine Josso and Véronique Guillotin also propose to set up a national annual awareness campaign on the subject.
In addition, faced with courses considered little readable by the victims, the mission also advocates the development of a standard of the High Authority for Health (HAS) on screening, orientation and support.
“”This will include a reflex sheet and an identification of the different places where to take biological samples in the hours following the territorial network “ specifies the report.
Finally, the reports argue in particular for the integration of an aggravating circumstance in the penal code concerning the sexual assault committed on a person in a state of intoxication or under control, the generalization of the reimbursement of biological samples without filing of complaints and the widening of the lifting of medical secrecy in the event of chemical vulnerability.
Tests have been set up for the victims
Some initiatives are already existing. The “Kit of the next day”, proposed in pharmacies on prescription, brings together bottles for urine samples, useful addresses and instructions for the victims.
In festive environments, detection tests in the form of sticks also multiply. But their reliability remains much discussed. “These tests have not yet proven themselves in terms of safety and reliability“Recalled Carine Wolf-Thal, president of the National Council of the Order of Pharmacists.
Faced with the current situation, the #Mendorspas association today calls for strong acts.
“Each day that passes without concrete action exposes new potential victims to these assaults. We will continue to fight tirelessly until each recommendation is transformed into concrete action. The protection and dignity of the victims are our absolute priority. It is time to act. It is time to say stop on chemical submission”.