Rape is a crime where the victim is forced into sexual activity, in particular sexual penetration, against his or her will. The word originates from the Latin rapere: to seize or take by force. The Latin term for the act of rape itself is raptus.
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History
The concept of rape, both as an abduction and in the sexual sense, makes its first appearance in early religious texts. In Greek mythology, for example, the rape of women, as exemplified by the rape of Europa, and male rape, found in the myth of Laius and Chrysippus, were mentioned. Different values were ascribed to the two actions. The rape of Europa by Zeus is represented as an abduction followed by consensual lovemaking, similar perhaps to the rape of Ganymede by Zeus, and went unpunished. The rape of Chrysippus by Laius, however, is represented in darker terms, and was known in antiquity as "the crime of Laius", a term which came to be applied to all male rape. It was seen as an example of hubris in the original sense of the word, i.e. violent outrage, and its punishment was so severe that it destroyed not only Laius himself, but also his son, Oedipus.
In antiquity and until the late Middle Ages, rape was seen in most cultures less as a crime against a particular girl or woman than against the male figure she "belonged" to. Thus, the penalty for rape was often a fine, payable to the father or the husband whose "goods" were "damaged." That position was later replaced in many cultures by the view that the woman, as well as her lord, should share the fine equally.
Rape, in the course of warfare, also dates back to antiquity, ancient enough to have been mentioned in the Bible, which mentions the abduction of women as war trophies.
The Greek, Persian and Roman troops would routinely rape women and boys in the conquered towns. The same behaviour was observed as late as the 1990s, when the Serbian troops, targeting Bosnia and Kosovo, conducted a calculated campaign of raping women and boys in the areas they controlled.
Rape, as an adjunct to warfare, was prohibited by the military codices of Richard II and Henry V (1385 and 1419 respectively). These laws formed the basis for convicting and executing rapists during the Hundred Years War (1337-1453).
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English law
Under the Sexual Offences Act 2003, which came into force in April 2004, rape in England and Wales was redefined from non-consensual vaginal or anal intercourse, and is now defined as non-consensual penile penetration of the vagina, anus or mouth of another person. The changes also made rape punishable with a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
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United States Uniform Crime Reports
In the United States, the Uniform Crime Reports use the term, "forcible rape", only to describe rapes perpetrated by men against women. The respective States, however, often independently expand the definition. Male-on-male rapes are usually recognized as such, as are female-perpetrated rapes.
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Male rape
Although rape and sexual assault is usually a crime against women, men can also be raped. According to the US Bureau of Justice Statistics, for 2003 [2], 9.9% of rape and sexual assault victims in the United States, age 12 and older, are male; therefore, nearly 17 out of every 100,000 males are victims. According to the data for 2004 [3], this number has fallen to 2.95%; therefore, slightly more than 5 out of every 100,000 males are victims. Many of these male victims are likely children and there may be many more male victims under age 12 (not included in BJS figures).
While statistics are non-existent regarding the gender of rapist compared to that of victim, male rape victims are commonly victimized by other men. Although women can commit an act of rape by non-consensually forcing a man to engage in a penetrative sexual act, males are more common victims of anal rape. Men are traumatized by rape and sexual assault just as female victims.