Sexual strangulation can cause serious injuries, such as brain damage and stroke, which are often internal and invisible, and they can show up days or even months after the initial incident. Observations of women who are frequently choked by a partner, and who were recently choked by a partner, suggest it can cause brain injury.
A 2024 survey revealed that 57% of Australians between the ages of 18 and 35 had been strangled at least once during sex, and 51% admitted to having strangled a sexual partner. And there are gender differences in the prevalence rates. Young women were more likely to report having been strangled (61%), and young men were more likely to report that they had strangled a partner (59%). Rates are even higher among transgender and gender-diverse youth, with 78% reporting they had been strangled and 74% reporting that they had strangled someone else. International research has also revealed that many young people who engaged in choking during sex felt some degree of pressure from their partner and/or their wider social environment. So is this true consent? Is it really free and voluntary?
When choking results in serious harm, Australian laws are straightforward. Professor Heather Douglas of Melbourne Law School says, “Injuries or a strangulation that causes death or really serious harm can’t be consented to.”
The fact that many young people still believe that choking is low-risk and enjoyable is a public health issue. Experts agree that widespread and robust sexual education that specifically engages with choking is an important first step in preventing “catastrophic health outcomes.” And it’s important to take a non-judgmental approach in this education and to give young people access to information about the range of risks associated with sexual strangulation.