Strangulation

Strangulation Illustration

IN FOCUS - STRANGULATION

The perpetration of strangulation is a serious problem globally. There is no safe way to strangle someone. Strangulation is a terrorizing and overpowering assault, yet victims always resist and respond to the violence used against them even when their options are narrowing and limited.

We invite you to explore these free (donated) insights and resources - the dangers of strangulation (animation), lived experience insights, a module about understanding and responding to strangulation, and the opportunity to book a free virtual team session and more.

THE DANGERS OF STRANGULATION

Animation: View/share/embed the dangers of strangulation animation (5mins).

"Seeing the animation gave me the knowledge and confidence to ask the questions about strangulation." [VANS Social Worker]

This animation contains descriptions of and resistance and responses to violence and abuse. The end of animation refers to two reflection resources: My Safety Kit and My Dignity

LISTENING TO LIVED EXERIENCE

Sometimes people who have experienced strangulation describe this as ‘being choked’. Explore insights from Nicole, Maya, & Maryam.

Strangulation is when external pressure to the neck causes the closure of blood vessel and or air ways, resulting in a deprivation of oxygen to the body.  Explore insights from Janine, Brianna, & Sophie.

External pressure can be put on the neck by any means, such as

  • one or both hands. Explore insights from Sam, & Bec.
  • being tied or having pressure applied by an object such as a rope, belt or scarf. Explore insights from Melinda, Janine, & Rose.
  • ‘being throttled’, or being ‘held in a headlock’ or ‘pinned by an elbow or knee’. Explore insights from Maryam, & Jules.

There may be seen or unseen impacts from being strangled. Explore insights from Laura, & Amira. 

Sometimes people experience knocks to their head at the same time as experiencing strangulation. Explore insights from Lee.

When a person chooses to strangle someone, they silence them and can harm them. Explore insights from Alexander, Marion, & Francis.

The person perpetrating violence may use strangulation once or many times and may do this suddenly and with increasing intensity. Explore insights from  Sophie, & Sally.

Perpetrators may use the mounting threat of strangulation to silence the victim or as a controlling reminder of their capability and preparedness to injure or kill. Explore insights from Joey.

They may minimise their actions describing themselves as being momentarily ‘out of control’ when in fact strangulation is a deliberate act of taking and intensifying control. Explore insights from Dorothy, and de-identified lived experience insights featured in the five original artworks by collaborating artist Louise Whelan in the Arts Lab Strangulation Collection (below). Click on one of the images below to open the collection in a lightbox. 

Arts Lab Strangulation Collection | Artworks © Louise Whelan.  These artworks were developed with Insight Exchange and each image is protected by copyright. 

UNDERSTANDING AND RESPONDING TO STRANGULATION

As responders, how can we improve our understanding of and responses to strangulation?

Module: View/share/embed Building understanding of and responses to strangulation (60mins) (includes Auslan sign-language) 

The module has been developed for any responder in any role. Lived experience insights about strangulation have shaped, and feature in the module, focusing on violence, safety, dignity, and language.

References: Open the list of references used in the module.

Share your response to the module

BOOK A FREE VIRTUAL SESSION (90MIN) FOR ANY TEAM

To support team responses, the foundational module (Strangulation) is being shared in a 90min virtual session. Teams can make use of this opportunity and these resources to talk together about building on social, service and system responses to strangulation. Below you can read more about the structure of the session, as well as the summary of participation, responses to the module and additional resources.

Click on the button below to book a team session.

Complete the booking form

Team virtual session structure: 90 mins

  • 60mins view the digital module
  • 30mins Q&A with Danielle Allen (Insight Exchange)

Danielle was awarded a Winston Churchill Fellowship to explore collaborative responses to victims of interpersonal violence who have experienced non-fatal strangulation and traumatic brain injury in the USA and Canada. Read the report here Churchill Fellowship project and report.

Examples of responses to the module and session

“This was excellent. I learnt a lot of useful knowledge about how to respond and better understand this issue. I was thinking about the workshop for days and thinking of ways I could help share my learnings.”

"The presentation is very informative, and I greatly appreciate the use of victim survivors' voices and experiences."

"I thought it was fabulous, very easy to understand and to stay focused. I loved that it covered the Foundations as well."

"Fantastic presentation- brilliant at locating responsibility, acknowledging resistance of victim survivors and using appropriate language."

"A confronting but equally informative session. It gives more understanding about language used in relation to strangulation."

Booking summaries

Reflections and insights from participants who viewed the module

Read participants key insights and reflections about what they will start, keep and stop doing in response to the module, and who they wish had access to the resources.

Archive: Read the interim summary report (Oct 2022 - March 2023)

ADDITIONAL RESOURCE LIST

The additional resources list is designed to support people who viewed the Insight Exchange Foundations Module - Understanding and responding to strangulation with awareness of a range of tools, projects, networks, resources about strangulation, concussion, and acquired brain injury.

This list of external resources is illustrative and not exhaustive or conclusive.  

The list is alphabetised under each of the four headers:

  1. Organisations | Initiatives | Projects
  2. Online eLearning modules and courses
  3. Guides | Tools | Fact Sheets
  4. Other additional information or directly related focus areas

HEALTH PROFESSIONALS

All Health Professionals are responders

The perpetration of domestic, family and sexualised violence (DFSV) can have long-lasting impacts on victim survivors’ emotional, psychological, spiritual, financial, physical, sexual and reproductive health and wellbeing (1), including but not limited to chronic muscular and skeletal pain, headaches, memory loss, difficulty sleeping, mental distress, diabetes, asthma, use of alcohol and other drugs and digestive disease (2). Strangulation by an intimate partner can have serious health impacts and increases the homicide risk for victim-survivors by 7.5 times (3).

For women aged 15 to 44 years, intimate partner violence was ranked as the fourth leading risk factor for total disease burden. Health practitioners have a key role in supporting victim-survivors of all forms of violence and abuse (4).

All health professionals are well placed to listen to and follow the lead of victims-survivors who may reach out for advice or support in the privacy of an appointment with a health professional. It may be the first, only or last time the victim-survivor seeks support, so being ready to respond matters.  

Any health professional may be seeing signs and symptoms of strangulation. The quality of responses to strangulation relies on building a foundational understanding about violence and abuse and the dangers of strangulation.

Explore supporting resources for Health Professionals

The resources are designed to build on your understanding and responses to domestic, family and sexualised violence including a focus on strangulation. The resources are not advisory, exclusive or exhaustive.  

_Health responders resources PDF Cover - All

Explore: All Health Professionals are responders

Open the link to specific health responders:

PORNOGRAPHY - STRANGULATION

Explore examples of insights and initiatives focused on the influence of pornography

It’s Time We talked (Australia) It’s time we talked is a violence prevention initiative that supports young people, parents, schools, government and the community sector to understand and address the influence of pornography. https://itstimewetalked.com/

Breathless (Australia) - An Australian website and social media campaign regarding strangulation as a dangerous sexual practice and links to research on prevalence data. https://www.breathlesscampaign.com/

Our Watch (Australia) Our Watch is a national leader in the primary prevention of violence against women and their children in Australia. It strives to embed gender equality and prevent violence where Australians live, learn, work and socialise. https://media-cdn.ourwatch.org.au/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/11/20022415/Pornography-young-people-preventing-violence.pdf

The Light Project (NZ) Accessible information and resources for young people navigating sexually explicit online content including strangulation. In The Know | Got questions about porn, nudes or online sexual stuff? https://www.intheknow.co.nz/