Arabic version: خبراء يدعون إلى التوعية بمخاطر الخنق أثناء الجنس

According to ABC News, experts are calling for greater education about the risks of strangulation after the death of a 16-year-old girl from Sydney’s northern beaches. The ABC understands the death is related to a suspected sexual choking act, and NSW Police are investigating. The girl was rushed to hospital on Sunday and died a few days later.

The girl is believed to have lost consciousness and had a seizure because of asphyxiation after allegedly being choked during consensual sexual intercourse. Women’s Health NSW chief executive Denele Crozier said the sector had recorded a 123 per cent increase in women presenting with concerns they may have a brain injury linked to strangulation since an awareness and training program began in 2023.

Ms Crozier said clients included victim-survivors of family violence and people who had engaged in consensual sexual choking. She said one woman had been assisted to receive NDIS funding because of the severity of her brain injury. “You only need five episodes of injury to the brain and you get a permanent injury,” she said.

University of Melbourne Law School research by Heather Douglas found 57 per cent of Australians aged 18 to 35 had been strangled during sex, while about half said they had strangled a partner during sex. More than 60 per cent of surveyed participants said pornography was where they learned about strangulation during sex, while 40 per cent cited social media, peers and partners.

Professor Douglas said public health messaging should reflect the potential danger, saying minimal pressure can cause unconsciousness and death. Teach Us Consent founder and chief executive Chanel Contos said young people needed direct conversations about pornography and cultural scripts that had become normalised, stressing that adult entertainment should not be treated as sex education.