Rape is a social justice issue, not a women’s issue
Introduction :
“Rape is a symptom of the problem.” The problem is the constant devaluation of women. Are we not all complicit in disparaging women, in not believing them? -bell hooks
The above statement by a famous feminist, Bell hooks invites us to rethink rape, not as an isolated problem but a part of the problem that spans across socio-cultural domains ,the behaviors that underpin sexual violence, such as gender inequality and dominance, and systemic patriarchy. Rape Is a sexual assault perpetrated against both genders but targeting women largely owing to which it is wrongly viewed as women’s issue. This myopic view of rape also holds women responsible for both its prevention and eradication , largely discounting the role of society. Framing rape as individual-level incidents between perpetrators and their victims lead to skewed perceptions, secondary victimization and also place the survivor under undue scrutiny more than the sexual offender. Contrarily , rape is a social justice issue that has overarching effects on both women and the society .Social justice refers to “the fair allocation of human rights, protections, opportunities, obligations, and social benefits,” then social justice also requires “addressing social and economic inequalities and seeking to eliminate discrimination and oppression. According to this approach , rape is a human right violation and a social injustice where all humans regardless of gender are affected and costs paid by the victim impact the society in the longer run. To begin with ,men’s sexual violence against women and girls has been framed above all as an issue of gender in-justice.. Additionally ,rape is fundamentally linked to power and inequality. Men’s violence both maintains, and is the expression of, men’s power over women and children. Moreover, such sexual violence has profound ethical and political ramifications, acting as a major obstacle to gender equality. It threatens women's autonomy, limits their freedom of movement, undermines their self-esteem, and jeopardizes their everyday safety. Beyond these immediate harms, it also restricts women's sexual and reproductive freedoms and diminishes their ability to engage in political decision-making and public life. Increasingly, this issue is being approached from a human rights perspective, recognizing that violence against women is a violation of their fundamental human rights.Thus , this heinous crime is responsible of stripping away women of their basic right to privacy and freedom that undermines their individual agency by impacting their growth in psychological , social , political and economic areas of life Therefore ,the reformatory efforts should be directed at seeing rape as an issue of justice, impacting all genders and subsequently garnering efforts and responses not only from women. The article deals with problematizing the gendered framing of rape, convincing that rape is a social injustice, and talks about an all-inclusive emancipatory effort to curtail this menace where seeking an alliance with men is at the heart of it.

Problematizing the gendered framing of rape :
In her book, Framing the Rape Victim: Gender and Agency Reconsidered, Carine M. Mardorossian argues ,that viewing rape through the gendered lens has led to the marginalization of the sexual violence .The gendered framing of the rape, impacts perceptions, solutions, and scope of the problem. The broader issue of rape is reduced to women only problem , often blaming them for provoking or indirectly triggering rape by eroding the gendered expectation rooted in patriarchal norms that dictate how they should dress, behave, or interact with others. Therefore, when rapes occur, the labels can be used to undermine their credibility of the victims , reinforcing the idea that they are responsible for their victimization rather than viewing it as a problem of social and systemic injustices such as in motorway gang rape case , according to a senior law enforcement official the victim partly bore the responsibility for the tragedy she encountered. Additionally this leads to stereotypical victim blaming, where the rape victim is accused of being promiscuous , wearing provocative clothes or absence of carrying harm reduction items. The labeling is a manifestation of a mental bias known as fundamental attribution error, where the internal characteristics are highlighted and external factors are causally ignored. This stereotypical victimization of rape survivors leads not only to primary victimization but also to secondary victimization that discredits the victim rather than offering support. Furthermore, the limited focus is placed on the preparator not only reinforces the predator-like behavior but also gives impunity based on gender, concertizing the rape culture enforced by power imbalance due to patriarchy. Thus , misogyny perpetuates the rape culture by objectification and dehumanization of women as observed in the case of Mukhtaran Mai ,where the jirga woefully weaponized rape as form of retribution.
Reframing the issue: traditional paradigm vs social justice paradigm
In the traditional approach, rape often is viewed as a stand alone issue and in individual-specific context. The perpetrator's identity is not made visible and the reforms mostly are transactional, also it does not challenge the existing oppressional system and cultural practices that contribute to this grave oppression. On the contrary, the social justice paradigm views rape as both an individual and societal context allows transparency of the preparator's identity allowed and requires reforms at the sociocultural and structural level, the social justice paradigm views rape as gender injustice waged against women that have a debilitating effect on their mental, social and emotional wellbeing. It violates basic human rights such as freedom of choice and right to consent Additionally, rape is inextricably linked with power dynamics as it is seen as a tool to assert dominance of men over the weaker ones. This also perpetuates the strategic use of rape known as rape mobilization that serves the agenda of patriarchal society and hegemonic masculinity. Likewise, rape also nullifies the gender equality agenda, as it devoid women of their reproductive choices, negatively impacts their health, and hinders their participation in political decision-making. The rape survivors find it difficult to engage in prochoice behaviors as the trauma feeds on and they face difficulties in being a healthy citizen of a nation.
Prevention of rape through the lens of social justice :
The focus of rape prevention according to the social justice approach is to dismantle the patriarchal norms and challenge the power imbalance created between both due to gender hierarchy that places men at the top giving them a permit to exploit the weaker sex. It also preaches women's empowerment in the social, political, and economic domains to upgrade their societal status. Likewise, the social construction of masculinity needs to be revamped as Raewan Connell's multifaceted theories have highlighted the concept of multiple masculinities, the hierarchy of masculinities, and the existence of hegemonic masculinity contribute to gender inequality in society, making way for sexual violence. A famous psychiatrist, James Gilligan suggests measures include addressing the psychological and social root causes of this problem, he calls for challenging gender norms and systemic gender biases. He preaches advocacy and awareness to promote respect and consent such as Providing gender sensitivity training for all members of society, especially in schools, workplaces, and public institutions. He also encourages the promotion of gender equality and strengthening support systems for survivors, including access to counseling, legal assistance, and medical care. The community engagement in violence prevention and implementing early intervention measures, Gilligan’s approach aims for a profound transformation in societal attitudes and structures to reduce and prevent Rape and other gender-based violence. Moreover, Challenging rape culture, and busting rape myths are crucial in ending this menace, A rape culture doesn’t command men to rape, but it does make rape inviting, and it reduces the likelihood rapists will be identified, arrested, prosecuted, convicted, and punished. Also, bystander interventionist programs should be introduced to inhibit sexual violence. Therefore, according to the social justice approach to rape an amalgamation of both individual and societal level reforms is needed to prevent rape .
Conclusion :
In a nutshell, framing rape as only women’s problem is a traditional, outdated, and exclusivist thinking that should be challenged .According to the Social Justice paradigm, the issue of rape needs to be observed in a border societal and systemic context to eradicate this moral wrongdoing. This approach rightfully shifts the focus of the problem from the victim to the deep-seated root causes furthered by society and culture.