Whether a person is raped by a stranger, an acquaintance, or a partner, the experience can be traumatic and can have long-term repercussions. Given the characteristics of rape—the physical violation and psychological trauma that it inflicts and our societal attitudes about it—it is understandable that many rape survivors suffer long-lasting emotional effects. Rape perpetrated by […]

Punishing Women Who Have Been Raped How would it feel to be raped by your enemies and then rejected by your family and friends for being sexually violated? Shortly after the war in Kosovo ended in 1999, reports surfaced in the press of the difficulties that Kosovar women who had been raped were having as […]

Although rape is most often a coercive interaction between two individuals, it has also been a strategy or policy of war throughout history (Mukamana & Brysiewicz, 2008). Records abound of the mass rape of women during war, from the time of ancient Greece to the more recent atrocities in Rwanda, Darfur, and the former Yugoslavia. […]

1. Do not advertise that you are a woman living alone. Use initials on your mailbox and in the phone book; even add a fictitious name. 2. Install and use secure locks on doors and windows, changing door locks after losing keys or moving into a Many women take self-defense training to protect them­selves from […]

1. the less you know about a person before meeting, the more important it is to be cautious. thus, when dating someone for the first time, seriously consider doing so in a group situation or meeting your date at a public place. this will allow you to assess your date’s behav­ior in a relatively safe […]

In the early 1990s reports began to circulate about the increasing use of Rohypnol (roh-HIP-nol) to facilitate sexual conquest or to incapacitate victims who are then sex­ually molested or raped (Daly, 2011; Staten, 1997). Rohypnol, commonly known on the street as "roofies," is the brand name for flunitrazepam, a powerful tranquil­izer that has a sedative […]

Earlier in this chapter, we examined the relationship between sexual coercion and cul­tural expectations for males in our society. The socializing process that encourages men to be aggressive to get what they want is undoubtedly an important factor in rape and sexual coercion. As many have pointed out, in our society many males and females […]

Most rapes are committed by someone who is known to the victim—by an acquaintance or a friend—not (as popularly thought) by a stranger (deVaron, 2011; Ben-David & Schneider, 2005; P. McMahon, 2008). Research indicates that in approximately three out of four sexual assaults against women, the perpetrator is known by the victimized person (Romeo, 2004). […]

Although females of all ages are raped, more than 50% of U. S. female rape victims reported that their first rape occurred before they were 18 years old, and 22% reported that their first rape occurred before they were 12 (see I Figure 17.1). Women ages 16 to 24 are the most frequent victims of […]

Are rapists characterized by a single personality or behavioral pattern? Until recently, efforts to answer this question have been hindered by both a narrow conceptualization of rape and inadequate research methods. This was because our knowledge of the char­acteristics and motivations of rapists was based primarily on studies of men convicted of the crime—a sample […]