The case in summary Women in the drug milieu rarely report rape, which leads to large figures in the dark. The women live under great pressure and many do everything they can not to fall asleep, as they lose control of what is happening. Many rapes in the drug environment are not reported, as it is a great burden for the victims to go through a trial, especially against someone in their own “street family”. Women in the drug environment often exchange sexual acts for drugs. The abuse center in Agder receives very serious cases from the drug community, often with more than one perpetrator. Female substance abusers experience increased unrestrained violence and rape, often more severe than the average for other user groups at the crisis centre. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAI. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. – Often women in the drug environment do everything they can not to fall asleep. If they fall asleep, they have no control over what has happened, says Camilla Skagestad. She is head of department for Babette’s house, which is run by the Shalam Foundation on behalf of Kristiansand municipality. The low-threshold offer offers emergency accommodation for drug-active women over the age of 18. news was recently present in a trial in the Agder Court of Appeal where a man was accused of sleeping rape of a woman in a drug environment. In the district court, the man was sentenced to detention with a time frame of 5 years and 8 months, with a minimum term of 3 years and 9 months. During the appeal, the woman explained that she did not understand that the incident to which she was subjected was considered rape. – I didn’t realize that I was the victim of rape, as such things happen all the time. Sex in the drug environment can be perceived as quite limitless, she said in court. Victims also expressed that it was common for drug-addicted women to be regularly subjected to abuse. Inside the crisis center Babettes Hus. Photo: Camilla Skagestad Camilla Skagestad says that many women in the drug environment experience feeling shame linked to abuse. Several of them become unsure of what they have actually experienced. – The threshold is getting higher for reporting, she says. The street family Many rapes in the drug environment are not reported. For the victims, going through a trial is a big burden. – At the same time, it is demanding to go against the street family, says Skagestad. Here, but no longer for the journalist. The women behind these doors are scared and tell of experiences of violence and threats. Photo: Line Victoria Sverdrup / news The term street family is something she heard many years ago. – It touched me when I understood what it meant. For many women living in active addiction, the addiction community is the only network they have. They may have lost friends and family because of their life situation. – It therefore requires a lot to report someone in your own street family, says Camilla Skagestad. In collaboration with Sørlandet Krisesenter, Babette’s House operates two places for dysfunctional women who experience violence in close relationships, as well as four places for emergency accommodation for emergency housing. Photo: Line Victoria Sverdrup / news – Experience the police as the enemy Reidun Wilhelmsen is the general manager of the Arken women’s collective. The collective has ten 24-hour treatment places for drug-addicted women from all over the country. Wilhelmsen says that women in the drug environment all over Norway rarely report rape cases: – There are high numbers of blackmail. Reidun Wilhelmsen in the Arken Women’s Collective says that reporting someone in the same drug environment is a big barrier. Photo: Hallgeir Aunan / news She tells about cases where women exchange sexual acts for drugs. She believes the women must participate in several unwanted acts in order to get drugs in return. – Many people perceive the police as the enemy. When you do something illegal, the police are not your friend, says Wilhelmsen. Many drug addicts have an attitude that you don’t talk to the police. Then rapes are rarely reported. Photo: Line Victoria Sverdrup / news A large part of their treatment is about helping the women with their self-esteem. – Women in the drug environment experience that they are an object. What we work on in treatment is to help them transition to becoming a subject where they can decide on things themselves. Set your own limits. Start enjoying yourself. – More than a perpetrator Ruth Gudrun Seland Thue is administrative manager and nurse at the abuse center in Agder. She confirms that a challenge is that few of the victims of rape cases in the drug environment choose to seek them out. – Substance abusers are a very vulnerable group, and a group where there are large numbers of dark figures, not only in relation to reports, but also in relation to seeking health care. Ruth Gudrun Seland Thue tells about gross abuse against a vulnerable group. Photo: Sørlandet Sykehus Several victims are exposed to repeated abuse without seeking help. The cases that the abuse center receives from this environment are often very serious. – Deprivation of liberty, torture, violence, use of weapons and serious threats are common. We also see that there is more often than one perpetrator in these cases compared to other cases, says Seland Thue. Unlimited violence Siv Gjersten, general manager at the Sørlandet crisis center, says that it is not unusual for female substance abusers to visit the crisis center after a rape. Women in the drug environment experience more boundless violence and rape. This is stated by Siv Gjertsen. Photo: Per-Kåre Sandbakk – The most important thing for us is that they get to the abuse center. However, reporting someone is a rather personal choice, so we do not encourage them to do so. Gjertsen says that they see an increase in boundless violence against female substance abusers. – There is also more severe physical violence against them than on average for the rest of the user groups the crisis center helps. Hello! Do you recognize yourself in this article? Or do you have tips on other issues in the drug environment that I should look into? Published 07.11.2024, at 20.54
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