Mission Statement

The Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network is the nation's largest anti-sexual assault organization. RAINN operates the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1.800.656.HOPE and the National Sexual Assault Online Hotline at rainn.org, and publicizes the hotline's free, confidential services; educates the public about sexual assault; and leads national efforts to prevent sexual assault, improve services to victims and ensure that rapists are brought to justice.

National Sexual Assault Hotline

Among its programs, RAINN created and operates the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1.800.656.HOPE. This nationwide partnership of more than 1,100 local rape treatment hotlines provides victims of sexual assault with free, confidential services around the clock. The hotline helped 137,039 sexual assault victims in 2005 and has helped more than one million since it began in 1994.

National Sexual Assault Online Hotline

In 2007, RAINN expanded its hotline services with the National Sexual Assault Online Hotline, the nation's first secure web-based hotline that provides live and completely confidential help to victims through an interface as intuitive as instant messaging. In November 2007, RAINN won the 2007 NPower Greater DC Region Technology Innovation Award for its innovative use of technology in the National Sexual Assault Online Hotline.

Helping Policymakers and the Media

RAINN is a frequent resource for television, radio and print news outlets — as well as local, state and national policymakers, law enforcement and rape treatment professionals — on the issues related to rape and sexual assault.

Educating America to Prevent Sexual Assault

Extensive entertainment industry relationships allow RAINN to reach millions of Americans each month with important information about sexual assault prevention, recovery and prosecution. In addition, RAINN uses its community partnerships to put critical information into the hands of young women and men at concerts, on campus and in communities. Through these efforts, RAINN educates more than 120 million Americans each year about sexual assault.

In addition to these education efforts, RAINN also publicizes the hotlines' free, confidential services and leads national efforts to improve services to victims and ensure that rapists are brought to justice.

We Can't Do It Alone

We are proud to count entertainers, athletes, media networks and corporations as our partners. And, we are equally pleased to have the financial and volunteer support of tens of thousands of individuals across the U.S., from our RAINNMakers who raise money to support our programs to RAINN Day volunteers committed to ending sexual assault on over 1000 campuses across the country.