Forms of self-defense against rape include psychological preparedness, home and auto safety, and ploys in addition to physical self-defense. Although shared community support can also help prevent rape, hiring more police will not deter crimes having economic and social causes, such as rape. The key to rape prevention lies in reeducating the public about rape as a crime of aggression and discouraging prevalent societal attitudes that combine sex with violence. Schools can help by teaching that women are not sex objects, by relieving tension and misunderstandings between male and female students about sex and sex roles, and by helping the community analyze issues pertinent to rape. Political action to prevent rape can include boycotting media programs or businesses that exploit violence and sex, community action to reduce economic exploitation, and lobbying for better rape laws. Rape prevention law reform includes redefining rape as assault, redefining penalties to concur with those for other assaults and reflecting the way the rape was committed, establishing equal rights for women to discourage sexism and encourage responsible parenting, repealing laws admitting a rape victim's sex history into evidence at trial, and reducing the burden of proof borne by the plaintiff at trial. Notes, footnotes, and exhibits are provided.