The word rape is originally derived from the Latin verb rapere:to
seize or take by force, and until relatively recent history, most
definitions of rape have referred to an act of forced vaginal inter-course perpetrated through actuale or threat of e physical violence, associated with a presumption of resistance on the part of
the victim. Gladly, many modern legal de finitions have now replaced the ‘use of force’
with a‘lack of consent’as rape's definingfeature; consent being defined in the relevant Scottish legislation6 as‘free agreement’, which requires active participation.