Researchers at the University of Auckland are among those, including from the United Kingdom, who argue this can normalise violence against women. The results come at a time when researchers here and abroad raise concerns with the use of “rough sex” as a rape defence, including claims by defence lawyers that women “wanted it,” even in cases where they had been strangled to death, such as in the case of Auckland woman Grace Millane.īreath play or choking is a recognised practice within BDSM (bondage, discipline, sadism and masochism), where its used consensually and with rules – such as a safe word and other protections.īut it is now prolific in popular culture and pornography and, anecdotally, violent acts against women in the bedroom are becoming more mainstream.
