A new sex act that could be rape: Removing condom without asking the woman - Hindustan Times
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A new sex act that could be rape: Removing condom without asking the woman

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | By
Apr 27, 2017 09:49 AM IST

Stealthing, like other cases of sexual assault, is mostly about the culprit experiencing a feeling of power.

The act of removing a condom during sex without the partner’s knowledge is referred to as ‘stealthing’.

Stealthing can turn an otherwise consensual act of sex into sexual assault.(Images: Shutterstock)
Stealthing can turn an otherwise consensual act of sex into sexual assault.(Images: Shutterstock)

Alexandra Brodsky, a legal fellow at the National Women’s Law Centre, believes this is a regular occurrence that victims are afraid to talk about. Offenders, on the other hand, boast about it on the internet.

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According to Brodsky’s research, stealthing can turn an otherwise consensual act of copulation into sexual assault in the eyes of the law. Despite hesitating to confront the offenders, women subjected to stealthing know what’s done to them is wrong. They go through psychological ordeals akin to the one caused by sexual assault, and are vulnerable to illnesses and infections.

Alarmingly, Brodsky also discovered various online communities where men offer advice on stealthing, and talk about their experiences in this regard. The people involved in this practice are proud of their various stealthing conquests, she noted.

Brodsky’s study cites the example of a man called Mark Bentson, a self-professed “bareback advocate” who has founded a group called the Bareback Brotherhood to freely discuss ways to have condom-less sex with sexual partners. The Breeding Zone is yet another website where tips on the practice are given out regularly.

Apparently, even members of the LGBT community are at risk. Stealthing, like other cases of sexual assault, is mostly about the culprit experiencing a feeling of power.

In response to a man’s question on how to make his girlfriend have condom-less sex, a post instructs the original poster to “be a man and grab (his girlfriend) by the throat” or tell her to “get on the pill”.

Then there are posts that offer tips on poking holes in condoms. One can even buy stealth condoms that are guaranteed to tear every time the act of sexual intercourse is performed.

However, Brodsky says it is very difficult to put people indulging in stealthing on trial. She has raised the demand for a new law that helps protect stealthing victims, so they feel more at ease.

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