The True Violation: Denying Women's Autonomy by Obsessing Over Their Bodies

As a society, we have been too obsessed with women’s bodies, equating her honor and worth solely with her physical form. This obsession has led us to deny women their full autonomy—a denial of their right to psychological agency and cognitive freedom. In rape, we often talk about the physical violation, but the true exploitation lies in the violation of the mind. The anger should not be just about someone touching the body; it should be about someone’s control over your will, your decisions, your sense of self—which is central in sociology, psychology, and anthropology.

For centuries, women’s value has been tied to their physicality, making them vulnerable to psychosocial objectification. This cultural conditioning teaches us to focus on the body while neglecting the importance of mental autonomy. Rape isn’t just a physical crime—it’s a direct attack on a woman’s cognitive sovereignty, her right to make decisions, a concept fundamental to social theory.

We need to understand that the crime isn’t just touching her body—it’s the exploitation of her psychological space, manipulating her emotions, and trampling her mental freedom. Until society acknowledges mental autonomy as valuable as physical autonomy, the real crime will remain unnoticed and unaddressed.