The paper primarily deals with the definition and essential elements of the criminal offense of rape, which is one of the most serious criminal offenses in all modern legislation. Rape has been known by legal orders since ancient times, but modern challenges, feminist initiatives and developed judicial practice have led to the need for frequent changes to the mentioned criminal act. Therefore, it is not surprising that rape is one of the most frequently changed crimes in the Croatian legal system. At the beginning of the paper, all important changes to the criminal offense of rape are presented. In the beginning, only a female person could appear as a victim, and the legal order did not recognize marital rape, with gradual development, marital rape is criminalized, and a male person can also appear as a victim. A revolutionary turn in the criminalization of rape is represented by the judgment of the European Court of Human Rights MC against Bulgaria, which led to the criminalization of any sexual intercourse without consent, regardless of the victim's resistance. Also, the Istanbul Convention provides frame for special protection of women against domestic and other gender-based violence. In the paper, the essential elements of the criminal offense itself are followed by examples from the judicial practice of the County Court in Varaždin, which confirms that even in the 21st century the mentioned criminal offense is not so rare. At the end of the paper, there is a brief presentation of criminological observations related to the mentioned crime, a description of the characteristics of a typical perpetrator, and some prejudices related to the victim himself.