Domestic violence (DV) encompasses all acts of violence against persons within the context of family or intimate relationships. Violence in the home has many names: domestic violence, intimate partner violence, spousal abuse, interpersonal violence, and family violence, in addition to battery, partner abuse, or spousal abuse. It is an issue of increasing concern because it has a negative effect on all family members, especially children. Domestic violence occurs in every culture, country, and age group. It affects people from all socioeconomic, educational, and religious backgrounds and takes place in same-sex as well as heterosexual relationships. Women with fewer resources or greater perceived vulnerability, girls, and those experiencing physical or psychiatric disability or living below the poverty line are at even greater risk for domestic violence and lifetime abuse. Children are also affected by domestic violence, even if they do not witness it directly. Although both men and woman can be victims, it is the leading cause of injury to women in the United States, where they are more likely to be assaulted, injured, raped, or killed by a male partner than by any other type of assailant. Statistics indicate that 29% of all violence against women by a single offender is committed by an intimate: a husband, ex-husband, boyfriend, or ex-boyfriend (Centers for Disease Control [CDC], 2008). Accurate information on the extent of domestic violence is difficult to obtain because of extensive underreporting. However, it is estimated that as many as 4 million instances of domestic abuse against women occur annually in the United States (CDC, 2008).

Acquaintance rape, which is also referred to as “date rape,” has been increasingly recognized as a real and relatively common problem within society. Much of the attention that has been focused on this issue has emerged as part of the growing willingness to acknowledge and address issues associated with domestic violence and the rights of women in general since the 1970s. Although the early and mid-1970s saw the emergence of education and mobilization to combat rape, it was not until the early 1980s that acquaintance rape began to assume a more distinct form in the public consciousness. The scholarly research done by psychologist Mary Koss and her colleagues is widely recognized as the primary impetus for raising awareness to a new level.

When people think of rape, they might think of a stranger jumping out of a shadowy place and sexually attacking someone. But it is not only strangers who rape. In fact, about half of all people who are raped know the person who attacked them. Girls and women are most often raped, but boys and men also can be raped. Most friendships, acquaintances, and dates never lead to violence, of course. But, sadly, sometimes it happens. When forced sex occurs between two people who already know each other, it is known as date rape or acquaintance rape. According to Dictionary.com, date rape is “Rape perpetrated by the victim’s social escort.” Wikipedia defines it as “Rape or non-consensual sexual activity between people who are already acquainted, or who know each other socially—friends, acquaintances, people on a date, or even people in an existing romantic relationship—where it is alleged that consent for sexual activity was not given, or was given under duress. In most jurisdictions, there is no legal distinction between rape committed by a stranger, or by an acquaintance, friend or lover.” The term date rape, also called contact rape, acquaintance rape, or sleep rape, refers to nonconsensual sexual activity between people who are already acquainted, whose consent for sexual activity was not given or was given under duress. Date rape and acquaintance rape are forms of sexual assault involving coercive sexual activities perpetrated by an acquaintance of the rape survivor. The perpetrator is almost always a man, and though both men and women can be raped, women are most often the targets of this violence. It is difficult, because of a lack of research on the subject and the tendency for rape survivors not to report attacks, to come up with precise statistics on male survivors. However, men are raped by other men and are also victims of sexual violence. Date and acquaintance rape can happen to or be perpetrated by anyone. Incidences are very high: this form of rape comprises from 50% to 75% of all reported rapes. However, even these figures are not reliable. According to conservative FBI statistics, only 31/2% to 10% of all forms of rape are even reported.