The social and emotional consequences of sexual assault must be understood from a broad perspective, if the bealth care community is to provide adequate medical service to rape victims. Medical management includes immediate care of physical injuries, the conduct of a medical and gynecological examination, attention to the possibility of gestation or venereal disease, and emotional support to acute and long-term psycological trauma. The purpose of the examination is first the welfare of the victim and secondarily to gather documentation. Once sexual assault has been reported to the legal authori ties, a complex legal process is set in motion. In this review, I shall focus the reader's attention on the importance of the gynecological documentation and guidelines for gynecological evaluation of the rape victims.