Stealthing- Time To Make It Undeniably Illegal

Stealthing is the act of removing a condom during sex without consent. In all states and territories in Australia, except one- this is considered legal. Now, in an Australian first, the Australian Capital Territory has outlawed the act of stealthing.

The ACT has made changes to the Crime Act in their territory to ensure that stealthing is now considered a form of sexual assault and clarified beyond doubt that it is an illegal offence. Now, there are calls for all states and territories in Australia to follow the lead of the ACT- and we couldn’t agree more.

In 2018 the Monash University and the Melbourne Sexual Health Centre conducted a survey of 2,000 people. During this survey it was revealed that stealthing has happened to one in three women, and one in five men who engage in sexual practices with other men. The ramifications of this sexual assault are serious- post-traumatic stress, sexually transmitted diseases and unwanted pregnancies to name a few.

Hayley Foster who is the CEO of Rape and Domestic Violence Services Australia told SBS News- “It is a massive problem and it is a much bigger problem than we realise. Those of us that work on the frontlines and supporting people directly impacted by sexual assault know that it’s something that has actually gotten worse over time. It something that hasn’t really been spoken about and I think part of that is because the law haven’t been explicit about it.”

While there is argument that stealthing violates consent therefore it is already legal across Australia, it may not hold up in court according to academics. The calls are clear- it is time to make stealthing illegal beyond any doubt. The laws need to be explicit, they need to be clear and they need to be put in place as soon as possible. The grey area that currently exists needs to be eliminated