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How can you identify whether you have been exposed to VAW?

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Drug-facilitated sexual assault (DFSA) occurs after the voluntary or involuntary ingestion of incapacitating substances such as alcohol and/or illicit substances and/or pharmaceutical products (with alcohol being the most frequent). The victim's state of intoxication overrides their capacity to consent and respond.

Dizzy woman touches her head
  • Feeling intoxicated in a way that is inconsistent with the amount of alcohol or drugs consumed.
Woman drinking
  • Having accepted a drink from someone you don’t know.
Woman vomiting into the toilet
  • Suddenly experiencing dizziness, digestive discomfort, nausea or vomiting.
Woman getting out of bed with unrefreshing sleep
  • Suddenly feeling more drowsy, sedated, experiencing difficulty coordinating thoughts and movements.
Dizzy woman
  • Waking up the next day with gaps in your memory, a feeling of confusion and a hangover.
Woman who does not remember having sex
  • Waking up next to a stranger with the physical sensation of having had sexual relations.
Woman with signs of having had sexual intercourse
  • Waking up naked or semi-naked, noticing the unexplained presence of bodily fluids, blood or wounds in the genital area or on the body
Three women talking
  • Having witnesses who have seen the person in compromising circumstances and do not remember.
Cannabis, pills and a syringe
  • Toxic substances are detected at hospital (although a negative result does not rule out their use).
Read more What can you do if you suffer sexual violence?
Joint project with . This link opens in a new tab.

Substantiated information by:

Lluïsa García Esteve
Olga Puig Navarro
Teresa Echeverría

Published: 22 July 2021
Updated: 20 September 2021

The donations that can be done through this webpage are exclusively for the benefit of Hospital Clínic of Barcelona through Fundació Clínic per a la Recerca Biomèdica and not for BBVA Foundation, entity that collaborates with the project of PortalClínic.

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