Editorial | Jan 15,2022
September 26 , 2021
By Kidist Yidnekachew ( Kidist Yidnekachew has degrees in psychology and journalism and communications. She can be reached at kidyyidnekachew@gmail.com. )
The income gap has been rising in Ethiopia for quite a while, leading to crimes. Along with the cost of living, violence is also on the climb in cities. We hear countless stories of muggings and taxi drivers being murdered in the dead of night. There is also what many women should be aware of by now – roofies.
I first became familiar with it after watching the popular comedy movie “The Hangover,” which launched the career of Hollywood actor Zach Galifianakis. It follows the story of four young men that go to Las Vegas for their friend’s bachelor party over the weekend. The adventure starts on the rooftop of their hotel, downing a shot of alcohol as a toast to the groom.
Then the scene fades to black, and they spend the remainder of the movie trying to remember what they had done all night long. The reason none of them remembers a single thing is because the shots were laced with Rohypnol, aka roofies. It is also known as “the date rape drug” because it is most used by college frat boys to rape women.
These were the horror stories I had nightmares about when I was younger. Reading news and social media posts in my teen years, I recall thinking I would never raise my kids in a place where such a thing was frequent. Little did I know that Ethiopia had a date with Western trends of this type. Over the past two years, I have heard terrible stories of women being drugged, robbed and raped. The thing with roofies is that the drugged individual becomes wholly unconscious, and when they regain consciousness, they do not recall a single thing about the previous night.
The thought of realising I was raped but not knowing who or how many were involved may make me borderline suicidal.
However, many women are going through this. But due to the stigma, most of it goes unreported and is dealt with emotionally by the women’s close friends. The story I came across was different, as the victim was a man. I was surprised as we do not hear men being subjected to this kind of crime often. When I used to go out clubbing in the old days, I have seen men get intoxicated and use all sorts of drugs but never seen a man being drugged, especially by another man.
Men’s intention when they use this drug on women is to take advantage, but I could not wrap my head around as to why it was used on a man. Maybe he had lots of cash and whoever drugged him wanted to steal his money, or perhaps someone was trying to get revenge. In any case, the man was hospitalised for three days, given a glucose drip and did not remember anything.
Let this anecdote serve as a cautionary tale for women and men who are fond of the nightlife. While out on the town for drinks, especially women, do not do as such unless with a group of friends. Designate one friend that stays sober and watches over the rest of the group, never leave the glass unattended and make sure the waiter pours the drink in front of you. We should never accept a drink from people we do not know.
Prevention is better than any cure we may eventually get – sometimes, there is no cure. This is critical for women more than anyone else, to whom society is significantly flawed when it comes to helping them with trauma.
PUBLISHED ON
Sep 26,2021 [ VOL
22 , NO
1117]
Editorial | Jan 15,2022
Commentaries | May 16,2020
Viewpoints | Sep 04,2021
Viewpoints | Feb 12,2022
Viewpoints | Jan 03,2021
Life Matters | Apr 25,2020
Editorial | May 29,2021
Life Matters | Apr 17,2020
Sunday with Eden | Jun 12,2021
Sunday with Eden | Dec 04,2021
Photo Gallery | 56407 Views | May 06,2019
Fortune News | 48289 Views | Jul 18,2020
Photo Gallery | 48274 Views | Apr 26,2019
Fortune News | 47356 Views | Sep 01,2021
July 2 , 2022 . By RUTH TAYE
On a rainy afternoon last week, a coffee processing facility in the capital's Akaki-Qality District was abuzz with activ...
November 27 , 2021
Against my will, I have witnessed the most terrible defeat of reason and the most sa...
November 13 , 2021
Plans and reality do not always gel. They rarely do in a fast-moving world. Every act...
October 16 , 2021 . By HAWI DADHI
Residing in a country with no capital market, an organised marketplace for trading se...
September 24 , 2022
Look no further than the flower industry to appreciate the importance of the European...
September 17 , 2022
The debate shortly after the Council of Ministers nodded a bill to open the financial...
September 10 , 2022
Ethiopia's policymakers and wonks began planning the economy and directing its course...
September 3 , 2022
The late American President, Ronald Reagan, went back after 50 years to a college in...
September 24 , 2022
Spring has come, in the form of a commercial bank. Amhara Credit & Saving Institution restarted operations as a full-fledged bank last w...
September 24 , 2022 . By BERSABEH GEBRE
Federal authorities are pushing heads of financial institutions - yet again - to contribute up to two per...
Lia Tadesse's (MD) Ministry of Health foresees building a national reference laboratory as part of a proj...
September 24 , 2022 . By BERSABEH GEBRE
Mesenbet Shenkute has consolidated her incumbency at the Addis Abeba Chamber of Commerce & Sectoral A...
Loading your updates...
Put your comments here