‘Stealthing' could now see offenders go to prison for life in Australia

Warning: This article discusses rape and sexual assault

'Stealthing' could result in offenders going to prison for life, after it is set to be outlawed in one Australian state.

Stealthing - which is the practice of removing a condom during sex without consent - is set to be criminalised in South Australia after it was approved by the state parliament's upper house on Wednesday (2 November).

According to a study conducted by Monash University in 2018, one in three women and one in five men have experienced stealthing while having sex with a man, meanwhile a 2019 paper published in the National Library of Medicine discovered that 12 percent of women aged between 21 and 30 had reported an experience of the act.

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Speaking of the act, South Australia Best MP Connie Bonaros described it as a 'repugnant and disgusting act of betrayal' which should have been criminalised many years ago.

"Under the new legislation, the removal of a condom during sex without the consent of the other person will now be a crime punishable by up to life imprisonment," she said.

"Stealthing is more common than most people believe, with a recent study revealing that one in three women and one in five men who had sex with men had been the victim of stealthing - that’s a shocking statistic.

“You can’t begin to imagine the level of damage to both a person’s physical and psychological well being.

"This includes the possibility of contracting a sexually transmitted infection and/or disease, unplanned and unwanted pregnancies, severe mental health/depression, and in some reported cases, post-traumatic stress disorder.

"Such grotesque acts of indecency deserve to be treated in the same manner as rape and a crime punishable by terms of imprisonment."

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Attorney general Kyam Maher explained: "There have been many calls from advocates to criminalise this under state law to make sure we're explicitly ruling this as a crime.

"Other states have moved in this direction — Tasmania and the ACT have already passed laws."

Stealthing is classed as rape under English and Welsh law, but there's only ever been one successful prosecution in 2019.

Rape Crisis explains that the term 'stealthing' isn't helpful.

"Using the word 'stealthing' can make people feel confused about whether it 'counts' as rape. Or make it seem as though it's not as bad as other forms of rape," they explain.

"It's important to remember that all rape is a serious crime that can have long-lasting impacts on a person's life.

"Rape is never, ever OK – no matter what 'kind' of rape it is."

You can find support and advice here.