Germany plans to address growing use of date-rape drugs
Germany's justice minister is seeking harsher penalties for the use of date-rape drugs in sexual assaults. But victims say more needs to be done about
Germany's justice minister is seeking harsher penalties for the use of date-rape drugs in sexual assaults. But victims say more needs to be done about a growing problem. "I'm not fighting for myself, but for all people who have been victims of sexual violence, or who will become victims in the future," said Nina Fuchs, founder and chairwoman of KO — Kein Opfer (Knockout — No Victim). In 2013, Fuchs was raped while under the influence of date-rape drugs; prosecutors eventually dropped the case despite DNA evidence that linked the suspect to her assault. In 2020, she founded KO with six other women and has tirelessly advocated for survivors since. When she learned of the plans for stricter legislation — which will equate rape committed using date-rape drugs with the use of a weapon and punish it with a minimum sentence of five years in prison — she did not see it as a victory. Nina Fuchs was a victim of rape — and Germany's legal system Image: Andreas Gregor "I felt a mix of disappointment and frustration. If you're going to do something, it should actually help and benefit those affected. That's why I, like other experts, have come to the conclusion that this is just symbolic politics," she told DW. More severe penalties and stricter sentencing, she said, don't have an effect if there are hardly any convictions. "In Germany, only about one in a 100 rapes results in a conviction. When it comes to date-rape drugs, the rate is even lower because it's much harder to investigate due to the short window of detectability." Knockout drops take effect quickly, but are also quickly undetectable These colorless, odorless substances, which perpetrators secretly mix into victims' drinks or inject into their skin through clothing using a needle, take effect within 10 to 20 minutes. They rob victims of any chance to defend themselves; after that, they're rendered helpless and often lose consciousness.
But after just 12 hours, no trace of the drug is detectable in blood or urine samples. "Rapes involving the use of knockout drops are particularly insidious and dangerous. This is sexual violence in a particularly severe form — and it primarily affects women. Criminal law must respond to this with a firm hand, because effective protection against violence requires consistent penalties," said Justice Minister Stefanie Hubig on May 13, when she presented the legislation in Berlin. "We must and we will better protect women in particular from assaults — and to do so, we are relying on a wide range of measures in criminal law and beyond," Hubig added. Spiked: The insidious reality for victims — part 1 To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Police often don't believe victims Yet what happened to Fuchs in April 2013 could likely happen the same way 13 years later, even though awareness of the use of date-rape drugs has increased in Germany. When she went to the police back then in Munich, which even has a special unit for sexual offenses, the officers didn't believe her. She described the experience as a "slap in the face." But Fuchs hears about similar experiences today: One woman who had been raped recalled being interrogated by police for six hours about whether she was active on the dating platform Tinder, or had ever gone home with a date. And even in 2026, police stations still don't promptly take urine samples because they overestimate the detectability of date-rape drugs. "A sensible measure, for example, would be to train police and the judiciary on the topics of sexual violence, date-rape drugs, and trauma. So that eventually you don't have to be afraid of experiencing something even worse than the crime itself when you go to the police," Fuchs said. Politicians should also rethink the awareness training about date-rape drugs in schools.
The BriefWire