Sexual assault victims face delays as evidence is lost

Victims of sexual violence involving drugs used to impair them often struggle to access help, LRT reports. Non-governmental organisations say test results are not preserved, causing crucial evidence to disappear, while victims must wait in queues for assistance.

Ten years ago, comedian Vita Žiba was sexually assaulted after drugs were used against her. She says she did not understand what had happened to her for some time afterwards.

“First of all, you remember almost nothing, because these drugs usually suppress your memory. I remember having one cocktail, then a second, starting to drink, and then everything went black. The next thing I remember is being in some room somewhere, not even understanding where I was, with some man’s hands inside me,” Žiba said.

After sharing her story on social media, she received support. Within a week, about 800 women shared their experiences of sexual violence. Žiba also faced abuse online.

“Many older men would write things like: ‘You deserved it’, ‘It’s your own fault’ or ‘You should be glad that someone wanted you,’” she said.

Non-governmental organisations say substances that affect a person’s will and render them incapable of resisting may be added not only to alcohol but also administered by injection into a muscle.

In 2024, 13 pre-trial investigations were opened over suspected sexual violence involving psychoactive substances. Seven of them were discontinued.

“This is the tip of the iceberg. It is very difficult to say how many cases there really are, because people often do not recognise what happened, do not seek help, are afraid to seek help or do not remember what happened,” said Reda Jureliavičiūtė, co-founder of the organisation Ribologija.

Accessing help is also difficult. Such assistance is provided by only five hospitals in the largest cities.

“If a person lives in a district, they have to travel to a hospital and wait an hour to be served, because sexual offences are not considered priority crimes. Then they have to wait in a queue, after which transport is arranged to the nearest hospital, one of the five I mentioned. There, too, they wait in a general queue,” Jureliavičiūtė said.

Human rights advocates are calling for an algorithm that would quickly direct victims to the appropriate institution instead of forcing them to find help on their own.

“At the moment, everything is scattered. Institutions do not even know what to do. You go to the police and are told to contact medical services; medical services send you somewhere else, and we get lost. During that time, if rape drugs were used, they disappear from the body,” Žiba said.

Tests conducted after an assault are not preserved, unlike in some other European countries. As a result, the evidence is lost.

“First, we need to collect that evidence and keep it until the person makes a decision. We do not have that option or that period in which to decide,” said Dalia Puidokienė, head of the Prabilk centre.

The Ministry of Social Security and Labour says it is preparing changes. It plans to establish a helpline and invest in centres providing comprehensive assistance.

“We say that healthcare institutions should inform a specialised complex assistance centre within 24 hours, so that someone can accompany the person throughout the entire process of receiving help,” Deputy Minister of Social Security and Labour Rita Grigalienė said.

In autumn, the ministry plans to submit amendments to the Law on Protection from Domestic Violence to the Seimas. The amendments would provide for not only an urgent 15-day protection order against an abuser, but also a long-term order.