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Specialist sexual assault doctors are warning about the serious risks of rough sex as cases of non-fatal strangulation and suffocation rise.
To mark Sexual Assault Awareness Month, Christchurch’s Cambridge Clinic has joined with other agencies to raise awareness of sexual harm, and say that as rough sex is “increasinglynormalised online”, they are seeing an increase in people injured as a result of suffocation and strangulation.
And they are encouraging anyone experiencing sexual activity resulting in “things that don’t feel right” to seek medical help and support.
The Cambridge Clinic provides a specialist medical service for people in Canterbury and the West Coast who have been sexually assaulted, raped or abused, recently or historically.
General manager Moira Underdown said, in recent years, social media had normalised rough sex and strangulation, with some young people feeling pressure to take part in potentially harmful acts out of fear of being stereotyped as “vanilla”.
“Non-fatal strangulation and suffocation [NFSS] cases have increased over the past three years, and NFSS cases within a sexual assault are also on the rise,” she said.
“People need to understand that consenting to sex does not mean consenting to a type of sex that may cause permanent physical and/or emotional harm.”
Doctors are encouraging people experiencing things that don't "feel right" during sex to seek medical attention and support. Photo / 123RF
Underdown said sexual assault and NFSS often had serious health impacts.
“Including brain damage, which may not be immediately obvious,” she said.
“Fifty per cent of people who have been strangled don’t have any external physical signs, but a lack of visible injuries does not mean the harm is not serious either physically or emotionally.”
In 2018, strangulation became a criminal offence in New Zealand and carries a maximum penalty of seven years in prison.
“Attempts to stop a person from breathing by strangulation or suffocation is a significant risk factor for future violence and lethality,” a Ministry of Justice spokesperson said when the legislation was introduced.
“Strangulation, often called choking by victims, has serious physical consequences for the victim which can show up days after the incident. It is always serious, even if there are no immediate and obvious visible marks or bruises.”
In the first five years the law was in place, more than 6400 people were charged – the majority of whom were men.
Underdown encouraged people to access medical care and support if they had experienced any sexual activity that did not “feel right”.
The Cambridge Clinic offers free and confidential medical care and said police did not have to be involved for patients and victims to receive support.
“Together we all need to work to stop the cycle of sexual violence, challenge harmful narratives, and advocate for consent and healthy relationships,” Underdown said.
