Date rape article condemned 

An explicit date rape article in a Dunedin student magazine has outraged Police and Rape Crisis who say it is a "how-to" guide and revictimises rape victims.

Critic, run by the Otago University Student Association, ran the story outlining types and amounts of drugs to use, what drinks drugs are best concealed in and who is best to target.

The magazine says the item is intended to provoke awareness of the problem and Critic editor Holly Walker is standing by her decision to publish the article in the magazine's annual offensive edition.

"While it's couched in particularly offensive terms, the information that is in there is going to be useful for people preventing this kind of thing happening to them," says Walker.

She says drug information included is widely available on the internet and anyone who would commit date rape wouldn't need a student magazine to tell them how to do it.

But Rape Crisis has hit out at the article saying it makes rape a joke to some people.

Dunedin Rape Crisis spokeswoman Nancy de Castro said if it really wanted to highlight the issue of rape, it should have focused on alcohol which is a much bigger factor in rapes. De Castro says the article will be traumatic for women who have been raped.

The Drug Rape Trust has also weighed into the argument saying it is amoral and unethical.

"We can only see social harm to past victims and to future victims that this article is potentially going to create by educating potential drug rapists in New Zealand," says Drug Rape Trust chair Louise Carroll.

Constable Andy Ferguson, who works at the Otago campus, thinks the story is irresponsible because it could encourage more date rapes. He is not ruling out prosecution.

"I don't think it's done a lot of favours for the female students here and in fact the males," says Ferguson.

The University proctor Simon Thompson has also condemned the article, describing it as gross. He is also concerned it could provoke attacks.

Both the Drug Rape Trust and Police are seeking legal advice.