“Balance your bar”: who drugs girls’ drinks in Toulouse?
Since the creation of the account “Balance ton bar” a month ago, the testimonies of violence in the festive establishments multiply. Toulouse is no exception to the rule.
“I was a minor and I worked extra in this bar. GHB was introduced into my glass of juice during the service. I have no recollection, except the complicated awakening in a hallway. A sample revealed the presence of two different sperm in my body and HIV was registered a few weeks later. “
This testimony is one of thirteen stories posted on the Instagram account #BalanceTonBarToulouse. Launched last November 5 in the Pink City, the social network page already has more than 8,700 subscribers. This initiative, the objective of which is to describe the attacks against customers, and especially customers, of bars or nightclubs, was launched in Belgium about a month ago.
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Since then, the testimonies of people victims of sexual assault after being drugged without their knowledge, have multiplied on social networks.
Erin, addicted to GHB in a bar in Toulouse at the beginning of November published his testimony on Twitter “To encourage customers to be vigilant”.
In August, Linia, also testified to similar facts, just like Inès who did the same two months later to evoke the misadventure experienced by one of her friends in a bar in the city center.
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Since the facts, the three young women aged 18 to 22 have been able to go out less often and be more careful when doing so.
Four complaints filed in 2021 in the police zone
It is difficult to know how many people are victims of such facts each year. In the police zone, four complaints were filed in 2021 by women who believe they were filed in nightlife establishments in Toulouse. All suffered from amnesia the next day. Investigations are still ongoing, but no procedure has been able to determine that the drugs were put in their glass.
Since the start of the “Balance your bar” movement in Toulouse, no new complaint has been filed. This figure may seem low given the many testimonials on social networks. Is the phenomenon more important than before or does the liberation of speech make it more present? Ivo Danaf, the boss of the union of trades and hotel industries (Umih) in Haute-Garonne, believes that these facts “can happen, but they remain anecdotal”.
Professor Sandrine Charpentier, head of the emergency department at the CHU, confirms that this is a phenomenon that has existed for a long time and that “it is often difficult to distinguish the acute blood alcohol level from the absorption of drugs”. Vincent Bounes, head of Samu de Haute-Garonne, also testifies to the fact that this phenomenon is not so rare.
“Every weekend, we see at least one victim of such acts. Usually the drugs used are sleeping pills or tranquilizers, anything that is psychotropic. Nine times out of ten, it is girls. The boss of Samu was able to observe that these attacks were more numerous at the start of the academic year and that they mainly concerned very young students.
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How to protect yourself from an assault?
To prevent the attackers from taking action, Vincent Bounes, head of the Samu in Haute-Garonne, advises not alone a person who seems in a daze, to accompany him, then to file a complaint and go to do quickly toxicological analyzes.
For some time now, some companies have been marketing a cap to cover glasses at parties. This silicone cover helps to avoid ending up with GHB, also known as the “rapist’s drug”, or other drug, in his glass. GHB, known for its sedative and amnesic properties, is put in pill form or liquid in glasses to drug people without their knowledge. This drug usually causes a feeling of calm, disinhibition and a slight euphoria. In high doses, it can have the effect of a powerful sleeping pill.