In my master’s thesis, I focused on research into helping surreptitiously drugged victims. The main topic that I was interested in was the victim’s satisfaction with assistance given by authorities and possible improvements that could be made from the viewpoint of victims and experts. In my theoretical work, I focused on a historical overview of the poorly researched incidents of surreptitious drugging, which started gaining researchers’ attention in the last twenty years. Through a theoretical review, I also presented how surreptitious drugging arises in different communities and cultures. Given that the event is unexpected for the victim and happens without their knowledge, a drug-induced event is an act of violence and abuse. A further criminal offence often follows the surreptitious drugging event. Individuals who have been surreptitiously drugged respond to the event in their way and, as a result, require help based on their current needs. A helping profession such as social work looks at the individual’s standpoint and needs so we can present them with assistance potentials in a certain situation. Due to the complexity of the event itself, communication is needed between different experts such as police, health care, social work and other helping professions. They should aim for a better structure and execution of the assistance itself. Based on the knowledge acquired from the currently conducted research on the surreptitious drugging events abroad, we can improve local assistance given and strive to recognise the drink spiking events to be researched more in Slovenia. Through preventive work and raising awareness of people, especially young, so the events gain recognition and reveal occurrences that do not seem controversial to the individual. I enquired with the experts of helping professions about the already existing assistance available for victims of spiked substances. With their knowledge and victim’s experiences, we are taking a step towards implementing customised assistance for the individual. The research part of the master’s thesis contains qualitative research that uses interviewing methods of two useful patterns: the experience of victims of drink spiking and the planned assistance from helping professions in the case of surreptitiously drugged at the Centre for Social Work, police in non-governmental organisations. The results show victims’ experiences of the event and what help they need, use and want.
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