Rape has long been considered one of the worst crimes, but for centuries it was treated without much care for the victim. In the past, this was seen more as a prejudice against the man, the husband or the father, rather than something against the woman. In the past, some rapists were punished severely, others were not. This usually depends to a large extent on the social status of the victim and the perpetrator (Karmen, 2010). For example, in biblical times, a man could be sentenced to death for the rape of a virgin, but a raped married woman could be sentenced to death for inciting the rape. In medieval times, a man could steal a young woman from a wealthy family in order to force her to marry him and thus give her better status, and in the era of feudalism, only the rape of a noble woman was a crime (Karmen). - In recent years, however, things have started to change. In the 1970s, the feminist movement began to draw attention to the plight of raped women (Karmen, 2010). With the discovery of the victim's plight, laws began to be put in place to help convict the offender and defend the victim. Today, rape remains a crime punishable by death in some countries, and is even looked down upon by other inmates within prison walls (Macdonald, 1975). SUMMARY OF ACADEMIC RESEARCH Like many crimes, rape has had various legal definitions over the years. the years. The word rape comes from the Latin rapere which means “to take by force”. An early definition in English common law described rape as the unlawful carnal act of a woman (Karmen, 2010). Another common definition, and the one used by the FBI for the Uniform Crime Report, is that rape is the carnal act of a woman by force and without her consent (M...... middle of paper .. ....(1991). Abuse Counseling Alexandria, VA: American Association for Counseling and Development. Burgess, AW and Holmstrom, LL (1974). Company. Lurigio, AJ and Skogan, WG (2003). ), Sexual Violence. Farmington Hills, MI: Greenhaven Press Gilmartin, P. (1994). rape. Chicago, IL: Nelson-Hall, Inc. Karmen, A. (2010)..