ABSTRACT
Rape crisis centers have been providing services for victims for more than 30 years (Koss and Harvey, 1991). This systematized response evolved when it was realized that rape victims could not get the required understanding or support from family, friends, or medical and legal systems. The grass-roots movement took on the tasks of ensuring that victims had access to informed and sympathetic advocate-counselors to assist with the emotional consequences of rape and to deal with the appropriate systems. These centers also considered community education, system reform, and empowerment of women and victims to be central to their mission.
