Pharmacies in Rome and Venice began distributing free drug detection kits to women in drinks on the occasion of International Women’s Day.
Pharmacies in Italy have begun distributing free drug detection kits in drinks to women, an initiative on the occasion of International Women’s Day that aims to prevent rape and raise awareness about sexual harassment facilitated by drugs.
A total of 1,500 kits will be distributed free of charge in Rome and another 2,500 in Veniceaccording to the Federfarma association, which promotes the initiative.
The objective is to alert the risks of so-called “drug-facilitated sexual harassment” in bars and clubs, that is, the administration of drugs to a person without their consent to incapacitate them or diminish their will, enabling robbery or assault, including sexual assault.
Devices will allow Italian women to detect the presence of drugs
These devices will allow Italian women to detect the presence of drugs or sedatives, such as ketamine or GHB, in your cocktails or drinks.
O kit consists of a strip of paper that reacts if the test is positive: if it changes color when it comes into contact with the drink, it is best to discard the cocktail.
The initiative, called “Il sento non si sciogle in un drink” (Consent does not dissolve in a drink), was launched to mark March 8thInternational Women’s Day.
It was also launched on November 25, International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.
“Consent is an essential principle in any relationship and cannot be questioned. Prevention also means raising awareness, listening to others and making useful and accessible tools available to everyone”, the president of Federfarma Roma, Andrea Cicconetti, highlighted to the Efe agency, who praised the importance of pharmacies.
In his view, pharmacies are not only healthcare establishments, but also a point of reference in people’s daily lives, places capable of “intercepting problems, guiding citizens and contributing to prevention in both health and social well-being”.
For this reason, the Italian pharmacists were also trained to receive possible reports of violence from their customerssa feature activated since the beginning of the pandemic when someone uses a coded message on the other side of the counter: “I want a 1522 mask”.
I demandequality and a safer legal framework for women
O March 8th in Italy eThis year will once again be marked by feminist demonstrations in several cities, demanding equality and a safer legal framework for women (2025 ended with 84 femicides, according to the “Non Una Di Meno” Observatory).
The demands will also coincide with the processing of a bill on sexual violence, initially approved by all parties, but in which, in the end, the right-wing Government eliminated the principle of victim “consent”.
On February 28, thousands of people marched in Rome to denounce this change to the law and assert that sex “without consent is rape.”
