Intimate Betrayal

Understanding and Responding to the Trauma of Acquaintance Rape

Acquaintance rape is a serious social problem, yet it remains widely misunderstood by the general public and by practitioners working with both survivors and perpetrators. The concept `rape' is generally thought of in terms of rape by a stranger; acquaintance rape survivors are more likely to be blamed for the assault than stranger rape survivors. This seriously impacts upon what survivors do after the assault, on the services survivors receive, on the prosecution of perpetrators and on efforts to prevent the problem.

Intimate Betrayal provides much-needed information on the subject - including practical information directed specifically at practitioners working with survivors - with sensitive discussions that include survivors' accounts.