The first conviction for stealthing in the Netherlands has been given to a man.
According to The Daily Mail, the 28-year-old man was convicted of stealthily removing a condom during sexual intercourse without his partner's knowledge.
Although Khaldoun F has been sentenced to jail for his actions, the Dordrecht District Court acquitted him of the rape charge, as they found that the sexual encounter was consensual. The individual's full name has not been disclosed.
"By his actions, the suspect forced the victim to tolerate having unprotected sex with him. In doing so, he restricted her personal freedom and abused the trust she had placed in him," the court said.
According to the court, the man's actions put the woman at risk of acquiring sexually transmitted infections and an unintended pregnancy.
After their sexual encounter, the man sent a message to the woman reassuring her that she would be okay, as reported by The Daily Mail.
Khaldoun was given a suspended prison sentence of three months, which implies that he will not be imprisoned unless he commits another offense. Additionally, he was fined 1,000 euros (£883 or AUD $1,606).
Last year, in 2021, lawmakers in California passed a legislation banning stealthing, making it unlawful to remove a condom during sexual intercourse without obtaining verbal consent. This made California the first state in the United States to do so.
Although it did not result in any modifications to the criminal code, the civil code was revised to allow a victim to file a lawsuit against the perpetrator for compensation.
Australia has also joined the movement, with Tasmania, NSW, ACT, and Victoria passing laws that make stealthing illegal.
South Australia is also planning to make stealthing a criminal offense, with a possible maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
In October, SA Best politician Connie Bonaros introduced the Private Member's Bill and referred to stealthing as a "repugnant" and "disgusting act of betrayal" in a statement.
She added: "You can't begin to imagine the level of damage to both a person's physical and psychological well-being."
"This includes the possibility of contracting a sexually transmitted infection (STI) and/or disease, unplanned and unwanted pregnancies, severe mental health/depression, and in some reported cases, post-traumatic stress disorder."
"And that doesn't take into consideration the absolute sense of shock and betrayal of someone who's agreed to have consensual sex with another person only to have that trust utterly betrayed."
A 2018 research conducted by Monash University found that globally, one in three women and one in five men have experienced stealthing.
In addition, a paper published in 2019 discovered that 12% of women aged between 21 and 30 reported experiencing stealthing, while a Yale University study conducted in 2017 observed a growing trend of stealthing among women and gay men.
