The phenomenon of Drug-Facilitated Sexual Assault (DFSA) is closely linked to the issue of protecting and promoting women's fundamental rights and preventing gender-based violence, one of the priorities identified by the Italian Presidency at the Council of Europe (November 2021 - May 2022).
A seminar in Rome was attended by 20 international delegations with 21 more connecting online, as well as researchers, forensic experts, professionals working on gender-based violence and in the field of addiction and officials from law enforcement agencies. The main purpose was to provide examples of good practices and guidelines for addressing this challenge. It was organised as part of the Italian presidency of the Committee Ministers, together with the Pompidou Group.
Fabiana Dadone, Italian Minister for Youth Policies with delegation for Anti-Drug Policies, commented on the relevance of the event: “The use of drugs to commit crimes of sexual assault represents a relevant public as well as social problem that needs a holistic approach and common and shared policy solutions. In this sense, the analysis and in-depth analysis of data based on scientific evidence, accompanied by a timely exchange of information and best practices among national and international stakeholders, constitute crucial moments of the capacity-building process useful for the promotion of effective actions and public policies to protect the portions of the population that, for multiple reasons, turn out to be the most vulnerable”.
