ABSTRACT
Often termed “The Silent Epidemic,” rape is an unfortunately common occurrence in contemporary America (Ullman & Knight, 1993) and, unfortunately, among secondary school students. A nationwide survey found that 7.5% of high school students had been physically forced to have sexual intercourse (Eaton, et al., 2008). Around 11% of high school girls in two different studies reported a history of being forced to have sex (Eaton et al., 2010; Young, Grey, & Boyd, 2009). A reasonable estimate is that between 7 and 16% of children and adolescents experience forced sexual intercourse before age 18 (Miller, Monson, & Norton, 1995). Rape, as well as other forms of sexual assault and harassment, is clearly a major problem in this society and others (e.g., Choquet, Darves-Bornoz, Ledoux, Manfredi, & Hassler, 1997), but there is no clear consensus on its causes, the best way to prevent it, or even how to define it. Nevertheless, in this chapter we will present our current state of understanding about this crime and the crisis it creates for young victims.
