Created by two people from Lille, the Drink Watch company is trying in its own way to fight against GHB, the rapist's drug, introduced without their knowledge into the glass of the victims.
Placed on the glass, these silicone caps prevent the intrusion of substances.
Demand has exploded in recent weeks, while cases have multiplied since the reopening of bars and restaurants.
The scourge has continued to spread since the reopening of bars and nightclubs.
Nicknamed the rapist's drug, GHB is a colorless, odorless substance that is unwittingly poured into victims' glass.
Black holes follow, assaults and rapes that occur after parties.
To fight against these increasing cases, people from Lille have created Drink Watch, a silicone anti-intrusion cap that can be placed on any type of glass.
On the cap is integrated a pacifier, through which one can drink the contents of the glass.
“It is a band-aid to fight against a huge social problem.
We cannot educate malicious people, but we bring an additional prevention tool to everyone's vigilance, ”explains Antoine Dehay, 32 years old and co-founder of Drink Watch.
An idea born four years ago
The idea for this protective cap came to him four years ago.
With his father, a former bar owner, the young man, who is also a DJ, worries about his sister's departure to Spain as an au pair.
At the time, the cases of GHB multiplied especially on the other side of the Pyrenees.
So the family, who know the nightlife well, looks for a solution to protect the little sister.
“The basic idea was to protect my little sister but, when talking to people around us, we realized that it happened to a lot of people even if no one talked about it.
There was a real taboo around that.
So, we tried to find protections to close the glass.
We started to make drawings, to work on prototypes before unveiling all this to the general public at the end of 2019, ”says the entrepreneur.
Demand has exploded since the start of the school year
Except that full-scale tests don't last long.
Three months later, the Covid arrives and closes all bars and nightclubs.
From confinement to confinement, the company survives until last September and an intense resumption of nightlife.
“We already had clients before but since the start of the school year, we have been facing a very high demand.
In a month and a half, we have already sold three-quarters of our stock, ”confirms Antoine Dehay.
The stock is sold exclusively to event professionals such as bar owners, nightclubs or even student associations.
It is up to them to then distribute them, free of charge or not, to their customers.
Today, 200 establishments across France have decided to purchase Drink Watch.
"It's starting to enter the customs of customers"
In Lille, the bar Le Cartel has already ordered 300 in three weeks. Blame it on recent fairly anxiety-provoking news. “The concept is unfortunately a hit thanks to the news. It is starting to enter the customs of customers, which was not at all the case before, ”recognizes Edward Duquesne, one of the two co-managers. "There is almost a playful aspect to placing this protection on the glass, which also makes it possible to play down things" continues Gilles Perthame, the other responsible for the Cartel.
And so that this silicone cap is not only synonymous with the fight against drugs, its founder reminds that this product is in tune with the times.
“It's 100% made in France and recyclable.
There is no plastic.
Everything is reusable and washable by hand several times until it cracks.
It's like madeleine molds in the kitchen: you can keep them long enough, ”concludes Antoine Dehay.
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Glass
Lille
Bar
Nightclub
Society
Sexual assault
Drug
Protection
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