Cape Town - The use of tik not only leads to a higher incidence of rape, rapists are to an increasing extent forcing their victims to use the drug.
Statistics indicate that between 2005 and 2006, rape and indecent assault increased in the northern suburbs of Cape Town.
Nazma Hendriks, a counselling co-ordinator at Rape Crisis, said there was "definitely a link" between the use of tik (methamphetamine) and rape.
"We found that tik was being used almost as a rape-drug.
"Women who are about to be raped are forced to use it first. The rapists apparently believe that tik heightens the quality of the sexual experience. That is, of course, not true."
2005-'06, 2 191 rapes and 1 047 cases of indecent assault.
That amounted to 33 more rapes and 53 more indecent assaults in the review period.
Hendriks said perpetrators knew that using tik caused loss of memory.
"Rape survivors can't always remember what happened and, therefore, aren't reliable witnesses in court."
She said some of the women who came for counselling used tik to help them deal with the consequences of the rape, but it actually hampered the counselling process.
Aggressive behaviour
She said police contributed to the problem because they regularly said that the rape could have been avoided, because women knew what the possible effects of tik were.
Dr Naeemah Abrahams, a senior researcher at the Medical Research Institute (MRI) said although there had been no studies on the link between tik and rape, there was definitely a link between drugs and aggressive behaviour.
Rape went hand in hand with aggressive behaviour.
Andreas Pluddeman, a researcher at the MRI said the chances of risk-taking sexual behaviour (such as rape) increased in such instances.
Kathleen Day, a counselling co-ordinator of Rape Crisis, said the nature of rape was changing.
There were, she said, not only cases of opportunistic rapes.
"One also gets drug-related rapes, where drinks are spiked with drugs."
"These days, offenders target someone and build up a relationship with them.
Emotionally cruel
"They usually prey on those they think have social problems, and sometimes they also strike up a relationship with the friends (of the target)."
She said as soon as the relationship was established, the offender used drugs to commit rape.
"What do you have in that case to take to court? It's well-nigh impossible to catch these people.
"It's so cruel, emotionally. You don't know what the person did to you, because you can't remember much."
- Die Burger
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