Rape

Rape is a form of assault involving the non-consensual use of the sexual organs of another person's body. The assailant can be of either sex, as can their target. Rape is generally considered one of the most serious sex crimes and can be very difficult to prosecute. Consent may be absent due to duress arising from the use, or threat, of overwhelming force or violence, or because the subject is incapacitated in some way such as intoxication and/or underage innocence. In some cases coercion might also be used to negate consent.

After being raped it is common for the victim to experience intense, and sometimes unpredictable, emotions, and they may find it hard to deal with their memories of the event. Victims can be severely traumatized by the assault and may have difficulty functioning as well as they had been used to prior to the assault, with disruption of concentration, sleeping patterns and eating habits, for example. They may feel jumpy or be on edge.

In the month immediately following the assault these problems may be severe and very upsetting and may prevent the victim from revealing their ordeal to friends or family, or seeking police or medical assistance. 

...More at Wikipedia  

Related Links:

• Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network
• US National Library of Medicine

Recent Hope Cube Blog Entries For Rape

• hes back!! Wed, September 10, 2008 - [view]
  my cousin is back home. and i still think he's angry at me for kicking him out the house. he's the one who almost raped me. he's married i hear. i still have nightmare's about him. what should i do about this. i'm scared!!