Introduction Each day cases of physical as well as psychological assault are reported in various parts of the world. However, it is important to note that other cases go unreported due to various factors. These cases range from domestic violence to other relatively more serious cases like rape. While many people know only of rape as being the act of forcefully having sex with a lady, there are more types of rape that occur in our society. Arguably, rape has social and psychological effects. It is important to note that it has been difficult to control rape in our society despite the fact that tough legal actions are taken against perpetrators of the crime. Nevertheless, there are several ways through which rape can be prevented. Definition of Rape In simple terms, rape can be defined as the act of having sex with a person without express and free consent of the person. It is important to note that forcing one into doing sex does not only involve using physical force but also bribes, intimidation as well as emotional coercion (Raphael, 2013). Contrary to the beliefs of many people, rape occurs to both men and women. On the same note, having sex with a person who is unable to give informed and free consent due to one reason or another is also considered to be rape. In this regard, any sexual act must get approval from all the concerned parties bearing in mind that each person involved should be able to make an independent and informed decision (Raphael, 2013). Types of rape There are several types of rape that occur in our society. To begin with, there is anger rape. This is where the perpetrator uses rape as a weapon of humiliating the victim. This is mostly used as a revenge method where the rapist uses extreme force in order to degrade their victim. Secondly, there is power rape where rapists want to show their victims that they are capable of doing anything they want. To them, rape is an ultimate act of how powerful they really are (Sanday, 2007). Moreover, there is a type of rape where the rapist knows the victim. This is called date rape and usually occurs in social situations. It occurs between friends, family, and other acquaintances. This is the most common type of rape in many parts of the world. Similarly, there is another type of rape that most people do not consider as being rape. This is rape between two people who are married and is referred to as marital rape. This occurs when one partner is forced to have sexual actions without the consent of the other partner. Lastly, there can be more than one rapist raping a single victim (Sanday, 2007). This type of rape is referred to as gang rape. Social and Cultural Causes of Rape There are several factors that cause rape and they can be grouped into various categories social and cultural factors are one of the categories. The way society has socialized people highly contributes to rape. The societal belief that women should be submissive to men has been found to highly contribute to rape. On the same note, culture has made men believe that they should have sex to prove that they are in control of everything. Arguably, there is a belief that women usually say no even when they really mean ye