About one in 10 people under 25 are unsure – or do not believe – that removing a condom during sex is a crime, according to a UK survey.
The online study by researchers at University College London (UCL) asked 1,729 people aged between 18 and 25 for their views on so-called ‘stealthing’.
‘Stealthing’ is when a condom is removed during sex without consent and is classed as rape in England and Wales.
Researchers said the survey – the first of its kind in the UK – showed most (99%) considered non-consensual condom removal to be wrong, but a lower proportion classed it as a crime.
Given a range of scenarios, approximately 87.8% agreed that stealthing was sexual assault, 8.9% were unsure and 3.1% thought it was not an offence.
The TV drama I May Destroy You raised awareness of the issue when the main character, played by Michaela Coel, becomes a victim of the offence.
According to the study, published in the Plos One journal, views differed depending on the type of relationship and consequences.
When asked whether a prison sentence for stealthing was appropriate, 52.1% agreed if the victim became pregnant, while it was 41.6% if the victim became depressed.
And 53.9% felt a jail sentence was reasonable if it was a casual encounter, but that fell to 47.2% if it happened in a long-term relationship.
The peer-reviewed study also showed that – when figures were adjusted to balance for the larger number of female responses – men were less likely to view it as sexual assault than women, at 83% compared with 91.4%.
Senior author Dr Geraldine Barrett, from UCL’s EGA Institute for Women’s Health, said: “Non-consensual condom removal during sex, sometimes called stealthing, has recently emerged in the public and legal spheres as a ‘sex trend’.
“Given that they are in control of the condom, it’s really important that young men understand that it’s not just a sex trend, it’s a crime.”
Lead author Dr Farida Ezzat said: “Regardless of outcome or relationship status, the overwhelming majority of respondents believed the non-consensual condom removal is a violation of consent to sex, morally wrong, and criminal.”
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In June, the Metropolitan Police said they would “continue to raise awareness that this crime is a form of rape” and Guy Mukendi of Brixton in south London was sentenced to more than four years in prison for taking a condom he was wearing off without consent during sex.