MILLIONS OF WOMEN have been raped throughout history by their partners, by acquaintances, and by strangers. While rape is a sexual act, it is driven more by anger than by sexual desire. Rapists attack their victims to exercise control over them. By forcing women to submit to their wishes, they gain a false, temporary sense of power.

Rape has been used for centuries to shame, dishonor, and oppress not only women but also their partners and societies. It has been used as a weapon in war, in which bands of soldiers have invaded villages and raped women to dishonor the enemy. In some societies women are forced to marry their rapists to avoid bringing further shame upon their families.

Until recently, rape was a crime whose victims were shamed into silence. Women were often treated as though they, rather than their attackers, had committed a crime...