The proportion of young people who have been strangled during sexual assaults has reportedly increased significantly among those seeking care at the emergency department for victims of sexual violence at Södersjukhuset in Stockholm. A journal study confirmed that the share of patients aged 16 to 29 who were subjected to strangulation in connection with rape increased from 8 percent in 2012 to 25 percent in 2022. According to Anna Möller, a researcher and senior physician at the department, many cases are likely missed because some victims do not seek care, possibly thinking that what they experienced was not rape since they consented to the sex itself.
Doctors are now investigating how many have invisible injuries. In a new study with the National Board of Forensic Medicine, patients who have been strangled are being examined by the hospital's specialist doctors in the throat and pharynx to detect injuries that are not visible externally. Blood tests are also taken that can indicate possible brain injuries.
many cases are likely missed because some victims do not seek care, possibly thinking that what they experienced was not rape since they consented to the sex itself
According to reports, strangulation during sex has become much more common among young people in recent years, though there is no Swedish research study showing how common it is. A large survey study is reportedly about to be launched, with questions ranging from personal experience of strangulation during sex to what young people think and feel about it.