The network of rape crisis centres has urged people to be aware of the danger that alcoholic drinks or other beverages could be spiked with drugs during the party season. Ms Fiona Neary, the national co-ordinator of the Rape Crisis Centres in Ireland, says the number of cases of drug-assisted rape being dealt with by the centres has grown.
She welcomed the first conviction of a man for drug rape in the North last October, as rape is a crime difficult to prove on its own without the added complexity of the use of drugs.
A victim of drug rape has little or no recollection of the sex attack and may suffer flashbacks months or years later.
"Centres around the country have gone from dealing with no cases of drug rape to a sudden increase in numbers over the last two years. In some centres cases have doubled. However, drug-assisted rape is not new in the sense that it has been around for hundreds of years but we are definitely identifying a re-emergence," said Ms Neary. The Dublin Rape Crisis Centre does not keep statistics on drug rape, but this year centres such as that in Limerick recorded 11 cases of alleged drug rape, Waterford four cases, Galway seven cases, Sligo one case and Kerry five cases.
The Limerick centre saw its figures double from five cases last year.
Ms Ingrid Wallace, a counsellor at the centre, said none of the 11 women who came forward this year brought a case to the Garda, despite encouragement from the centre.
"Women usually don't come forward until it's too late to have urine or blood samples taken. These must be taken within 48 to 72 hours.
"Often they have woken up in their own beds feeling fuzzy, with no recollection of how they got home but knowing they've had sex," she said. Ms Sheila Vereker, co-ordinator of the Waterford centre, said four cases represented a doubling in their figures.
"It may not seem like a large number but for us, compared to two years ago, it's a dramatic increase. I believe it's a danger people are simply not aware of."
One woman treated at the centre believed she had been thrown from a car on to the side of the road after being raped. "She came through to find herself naked at the side of the road with her clothes thrown on top of her," said Ms Vereker.
The girl did not go to the i Garda because she had no memory of the attack. "She said to us `what can I tell them - I have nothing". Ms Vereker accepts there is no proof the cases she dealt with were drug rapes, "but my gut feeling is that they certainly were".
The Galway centre recorded seven cases for 2000 - the first year figures were collated.
One case involved a couple both being drugged and separated in a bar.
The man was ejected from the premises for appearing to be excessively drunk. His girlfriend was raped.
Ms Carole McDonnell, co-ordinator of the Galway centre, says people should be aware what is happening around them when they are out and should look after their drinks and their friends.
"People think drug rape is a myth - but it's not," Ms McDonnell said. She has also encountered victims who were also forced to hand over money at cash dispensing machines to their attackers while in a hypnotic state.
"The use of drugs also highlights how planned rape can be. People actually go out with this in mind and they have no problem getting their hands on these drugs," she adds.