German Justice Minister Stefanie Hubig presented a legislative proposal in Berlin on May 13 to impose harsher penalties for sexual assaults involving date-rape drugs. Under the new law, such crimes would be equated with the use of a weapon and carry a minimum sentence of five years in prison.

However, victims and experts argue that the measure is largely symbolic. Nina Fuchs, founder of the organization KO — Kein Opfer (Knockout — No Victim), noted that only about one in 100 rapes in Germany results in a conviction. For date-rape drug cases, the rate is even lower due to the short detection window of these substances, which leave the body within 12 hours.

Fuchs herself was raped in Munich in 2013 after being drugged, but the case was dropped despite DNA evidence. She said police officers did not believe her, and similar experiences persist today: "If you go to the police and experience something worse than the crime itself, that's a problem."

Charlotte Förster, a professor at Chemnitz University of Technology, is leading the "Don't Knock Me Out" study. Preliminary results from 1,802 respondents in Germany show that 725 people suspected they had been drugged without consent, but only 23 cases led to criminal prosecution. She emphasized that without effective prosecution, tougher penalties will have little deterrent effect.

Experts call for training police and judiciary, establishing standardized procedures in hospitals, and shifting prevention efforts in schools to target potential perpetrators. Fuchs advocates for a "Yes means yes" model, where sexual acts require explicit consent, instead of the current "No means no" model, which often requires victims to prove they resisted.

Source: www.dw.com