Two young Australian women have bravely shared their distressing experiences of alleged needle spiking followed by sexual assaults during international travels, shedding light on a concerning issue. Molly and Carly recount these traumatic incidents in an effort to raise awareness and caution among fellow travellers.
Content Warning: This article contains explicit details of sexual assault allegations.
Molly and Carly both claim to have been victims of sexual assault after being unknowingly drugged through needle-spiking incidents in bars situated on opposite sides of the world.
Needle spiking involves the surreptitious injection of sedatives or date rape drugs, often occurring in crowded places such as nightclubs or festivals. While official data on needle spiking incidents involving Australians is not available, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) acknowledges the occurrence and has recently included references to needle spiking in its overseas travel advisories, alongside drink spiking.
Molly recalls her ordeal, alleging she was spiked with a needle in a bar on the Greek island of Ios in July 2022. She vividly remembers standing in a crowd, the lights intensifying, and feeling like she was having an out-of-body experience. Immobilized, she later found herself being carried out of the club by two men, taken to a house, tied down, and subjected to repeated sexual assaults. Molly managed to escape when her captors momentarily left the room, discovering cuts, bruises, and a puncture wound on her arm. Despite reporting the incident to the police and undergoing a basic medical check, she faced challenges obtaining comprehensive test results from a specialized sexual assault clinic.
In a letter to the Australian embassy in Greece, Molly described a distressing examination experience by medical practitioners, claiming mistreatment and a lack of support.
Almost 18 months later, she has not received any clinic test results or a medical report.
Carly Ellis shares a similar account of alleged needle spiking and sexual assault while on vacation in Hawaii in 2019. After buying drinks at a bar with a friend, Carly's memory abruptly ends. She woke up the next morning in her hotel room with blurry vision and no physical coordination, discovering scratches and marks on her wrists and thighs. Observing an injection site on her forearm, she believes she was raped but chose not to report it due to her negative experiences working in the criminal justice sector.
Both women stress the need for awareness about needle spiking and its potential consequences. While appreciating DFAT's acknowledgment of such incidents, Carly emphasizes that the responsibility should not fall on victims to ensure their safety but on perpetrators to refrain from such actions. Molly expresses concern for her friends and emphasizes that needle spiking is not an isolated incident but a targeted approach that can happen anywhere.
Molly's name has been changed to protect her identity.
[This article is sourced from ABC Australia.]Sexual assault support services:
- 1800 RESPECT national helpline on 1800 737 732
- Sexual Assault Counselling Australia on 1800 211 028
- Bravehearts (support for child sexual abuse survivors) on 1800 272 831
- Blue Knot Foundation on 1300 657 380
- Lifeline (24-hour crisis line) on 131 114
