"Stealthing" has always been a topic of discussion for reasons such as how common it is and how unnoticed it goes despite being a serious crime that jeopardises the victim's life. The first case of "stealthing" in the Netherlands resulted in a man's conviction for removing a contraceptive during sexual activity without his partner's permission. The 28-year-old Rotterdam resident received a three-month sentence with a suspended jail term. Therefore, unless he commits another crime, he won't be required to fulfill the sentence. Additionally, he must give the victim $1,000 euros, or roughly $1,054, as compensation for damages. Removing Condom During Sex Without Consent aka 'Stealthing' Gets Man Convicted in Netherlands' First Such Sex Crime Trial.

The man was cleared of rape charges by the Dordrecht District Court, which determined that both parties consented to the sex. California legislators outlawed stealthing in 2021 by making it unlawful to remove a condom without a partner's permission. Instead of altering the state's criminal code, lawmakers changed the civil code to allow a victim to pursue damages against an offender. Stealing can be charged as sexual assault, according to a prior decision by Canada's highest court.

What is Stealthing? How Does it Come Under Sexual Assault?

When the other person has only agreed to having sex with the condom on and still believes the condom is in place, "stealthing" is the act of covertly removing the condom during sex. The practice almost turned into a serious "sex trend". Since 2014, there have been reports of non-consensual contraceptive removal in the LGBTQ+ community.

12 percent of young, straight women surveyed in a 2019 U.S. study reported having encountered stealthing. In contrast, according to a 2019 Australian study, one in three women and a fifth of gay males who participated had also been stealthed. Stealing is never permitted. It is a sexual assault that violates your right to consent, betrays your confidence, and can make you feel betrayed, angry, scared, and disrespected.

Condom stealth is believed to be a form of sexual assault. This is due to the fact that using a condom only allows for protected intercourse when you acquiesce to having sex. When you remove the condom, something is occurring to you against your will because you are no longer able to defend yourself against unintended pregnancy or STIs. Stealthing is an unconsensual, deceptive deed that is prohibited in many nations, including the United Kingdom, Germany, Switzerland, New Zealand, and Canada. As a result, in a healthy partnership, this kind of behavior should never be accepted.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 18, 2023 08:50 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).