'Stealthing' has come under the spotlight in recent years as more and more cases of perpetrators and victims come forward to discuss their experience of the damaging sexual trend.

It basically involves a man removing his condom during sex, despite formally agreeing to put one on, which many describe as a violation of dignity and autonomy, as well as sexual assault.

Condom

This week, Singapore recognised the shocking practice by promising to criminalise those who do it, as part of the government's Criminal Law Reform Bill, which was given its first reading on Monday. They're also planning to criminalise those who lie about having a sexually transmitted disease.

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In a press release, the Ministry of Law and Home Affairs, said: "...the Bill introduces a new offence criminalising the procurement of sexual activity where consent is obtained by deception or false representation regarding (a) the use or manner of use of a sexually protective device, or (b) whether one is suffering from a sexually transmitted disease.

"In such cases, while consent is not legally negated (as the deception does not relate to the nature of the act, the purpose of the act, or the identity of the person doing the act), the consent obtained is compromised, and there is risk of physical harm to the victim."

According to Vice, the second reading of the Bill will arrive in May and it gets the go-ahead Singapore will be the first Asian country to make stealthing illegal.

Up until recently, the water looked pretty muddy when it came to stealthing, although this is starting to change. Last December, for example, a German police officer was found guilty of sexual assault after removing his condom during sex in what was believed to be the first case of its kind in the country.

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Now that Singapore plans to crack down on the sinister practice, it's evident the world is starting to wake up to its damaging effects.

According to Alexandra Brodsky, who published a study on the topic for the Columbia Journal of Gender and Law, stealthing is 'not new' but is rarely spoken about - she adds that we need to find new ways (such as the proposed law change by the Singaporean government) to establish a course of action for all of those involved.

She wrote: "Non-consensual condom removal during sexual intercourse exposes victims to physical risks of pregnancy and disease and, interviews make clear, is experienced by many as a grave violation of dignity and autonomy...

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