There are many sex trends out there that people try to either experiment or spice up their sex life. But ever wondered if a sex trend could seriously cause trouble for some? The latest sex trend that everyone has been talking about is called stealthing. According to Urban Dictionary, stealthing is an act ‘when a man removes a condom during sex despite agreeing to wear one so that he can cum inside the other person without their knowledge.’ This is a major issue as it’s an explicit breach of consent and once the consent is revoked it turns into a form of sexual assault. In several countries people who indulge in this creepy sex trend can be punished under the law. Lady Gaga Confesses About Suffering From PTSD After Sexual Assault; What is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

The disturbing sex trend was examined by Alexandra Brodsky for the Columbia Journal of Gender and Law who said the practice is not new but is rarely spoken about. Stealthing leaves a victim vulnerable to pregnancy or STIs and can cause emotional and physical harm. Often the partner doesn’t even realise or understand whether rape or sexual assault has taken place. Non-consenual condom removal is considered by most to be sexual assault as it forces an individual into a sexual situation they were not agreeing to.

So why do men indulge in stealthing? The most likely reason for this could be as condom comes in the way of their pleasure and hence men take it off mid-sex. In India, the Indian Penal Code does cover stealthing under rape. Mrinal Satish, associate professor of law at National University Delhi who was part of the research team that assisted the Justice Verma Committee on amendment to rape laws in 2013, says, “Consent is defined in Explanation 2 to Section 375 of the IPC as meaning ‘an unequivocal voluntary agreement when the woman by words, gestures or any form of verbal or non-verbal communication, communicates willingness to participate in the specific sexual act.’ One of the core parts of the definition is consent to the specific sexual act. So, if a woman has consented to intercourse on the condition that the man wears a condom, and he removes it during intercourse, the penetrative act after the removal will amount to rape.”

There are several risks associated with stealthing. There are chances of woman getting pregnant and the possibility of getting or passing on STIs including genital herpes, genital warts, gonorrhoea, HIV, etc. Stealthing also leaves some people with post-traumatic stress and emotional harm. A lot of them experience shame and have difficulty in talking about and some might not even feel comfortable to have sex again for a long period of time.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 07, 2018 01:56 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).