'Nothing sexy about a brain injury': Warning after suspected choking death

Experts call for safe sex education after young girl's suspected choking death In short: Experts are calling for greater education on the risks of strangulation. One women's health advocate has warned of a 123 per cent increase in women presenting with brain injury concerns linked to strangulation. It comes following the death of a 16-year-old girl from Sydney's northern beaches, which the ABC understands is related to a suspected sexual choking act. Women's health services say they have seen a huge rise in the number of people concerned they have an acquired brain injury after being strangled, including during sex. Experts are calling for greater education on the risks of strangulation following the death of a 16-year-old girl from Sydney's northern beaches, which the ABC understands is related to a suspected sexual choking act. The girl is believed to have lost consciousness and had a seizure as a result of asphyxiation after allegedly being choked during consensual sexual intercourse. NSW Police are investigating the matter. A 2024 survey found about half of young Australians have engaged in strangulation during sex, while a NSW parliamentary inquiry last year heard "overwhelming evidence" choking was among physically violent acts common in mainstream pornography. Women's Health NSW chief executive Denele Crozier said the sector had seen a 123 per cent increase in women presenting with concerns they may have a brain injury linked to strangulation since launching an awareness-raising and training program in 2023. She said clients included victim-survivors of family violence and people who engaged in consensual sexual choking. One woman had been assisted to received NDIS funding due to the severity of her brain injury, Ms Crozier said. "Strangulation can be very violent, and is violent, but it can also be part of sex play," she said. "You only need five episodes of injury to the brain and you get a permanent injury, and there's nothing sexy about living with a brain injury." Public health messaging needed Research from University of Melbourne Law School's Heather Douglas found 57 per cent of Australians aged 18 to 35 had been strangled during sex, and about half said they had strangled their partner during sex. "Over 60 per cent of the people we surveyed said they found out about strangulation during sex in their use of pornography," Professor Douglas said. "We also found out that many of them, 40 per cent, were finding out about strangulation during sex on social media, and also from their peers and their partners." Professor Douglas said she believed public health messaging needed to reflect the potential dangers of strangulation. "It's sort of like when we think about drinking alcohol during pregnancy — we have landed on there's no safe level of drinking, and I think that's the right message we need to have around strangulation," Professor Douglas said. "Basically, it only takes the pressure of opening a can of drink to cause unconsciousness and death, so not much pressure is required." Education on 'how not to have dangerous sex' Ms Crozier, whose organisation provided training and resources on supporting women who had been strangled under a state and federal government grant program, agreed more education for young people was needed. "The sexual choking is an entire new genre … that now does require input and information to be out there," she said. "We still don't do enough work on contraception, let alone how to have good sex, and how not to have dangerous sex." Teach Us Consent founder and chief executive Chanel Contos described the death of the 16-year-old Sydney girl this week as a "tragedy that didn't need to happen". "It's really important to have direct conversations with young people about what they may come across in pornography, and the cultural scripts that have become normalised," she said. "If young people do come across pornography, they should know this is adult entertainment, not sex education, and should not be mimicked." [Image text:] aicnoking are omen'shealth ues. know how to respond?