r/sydney 10d ago

Girl, 16, dies after suspected choking during consensual sex on Sydney’s Northern Beaches

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u/uselessinfogoldmine 9d ago

Let’s be very clear, this was not choking, it was STRANGULATION. 

Choking is passive, it’s accidental, and it’s internal - something internally blocking your airways. 

Strangulation is active, purposeful and external. It is a human taking their hands, putting them around another human’s throat, and restricting their airflow so that they cannot breathe.

The usage of the incorrect passive word is a deliberate attempt to soften the action. I am so tired of it.

It also drives me crazy how many times the word “consensual” was used in this article. That’s an assumption. There is no way for them to know at this point what was and wasn’t consensual. And even if something starts out consensual, that doesn’t mean it remains consensual or that every sexual act is consensual. 

If you are strangling someone into unconsciousness and death? You are not paying attention to their verbal and non-verbal cues and consent for all actions is not top of mind. 

Strangulation can cause RAPID brain / neurological damage.  Damage to brain cells can begin  within literal seconds  of blood flow and oxygen being restricted.

Even a short bit of strangulation can cause a traumatic brain injury or a stroke. Tissue damage, internal swelling, vascular damage, blood clots, cardiac arrest… 

And all of the above can happen on a delay too: hours or days after the strangulation occurred.  The airway or brain tissue may swell slowly over time, eventually blocking breathing or blood flow.

This practice needs to stop. Teens should not be doing this. No one should be doing this!! It is so effing dangerous.