The authors offer a synthesis of research on rape for professionals and students in counselling, social work, nursing and police work. This text examines the problems of determining the actual number of rape victims, the trauma of rape including the risk and fear of AIDS, rape among various minority groups, new theories of rape and the work of rape crisis centres and rape prevention methods. This text may be of interest to students and professionals in counselling, social work, police work, nursing, women's studies, psychology and criminology.