The reason why only 32% of sexual assaults are ever reported to the police probably has something to do with the fact that most rapists will never spend a day in jail or prison. Not only does a victim have to endlessly relive the event through their trial, but in the end, they will most likely watch their attacker walk free. With such awful odds of success, most victims choose to remain quiet, also sometimes due to fear of embarrassment. When a person knows that reporting a violent crime will lead to inevitable questioning of their outfit, their alcoholic beverage of choice, and their morals in general, they find the fight to be futile. It becomes even worse for these victims when their attacker is of high status.
In January of 2015, Brock Turner, a former member of the swimming team at Stanford University, was found raping an unconscious woman on the Stanford campus. He was recently sentenced to six months in a county jail and probation afterwards-a disgustingly light sentence and most definitely not in accordance with his actions. The judge argued that anything more would have too adverse of an effect on Brock (wait, aren't we concerned with the effect of the rape on his victim?). To make it worse, his father is pleading for an even lighter sentence, one that consists of only probation. Sure, Brock isn't an awful person or anything, his "twenty minutes of action" were "fueled by alcohol and promiscuity," as his father stated.
Turner's father believes his son deserves a lighter sentence because of the negative effect it has had on him. His son is no longer the outgoing, joyful young man that he once was. Brock doesn't smile much these days, and it's clear that his every moment is filled with "anxiety, fear, and depression." Right, because any of this matters anyway.
He deserves this pain, and much, much more.
What about the negative effects the rape has had on the victim? Do Brock and his father know that she will wake up in the middle of the night, shaking, crying, and covered in sweat for the rest of her life? Do they know that she will cower in fear at the next man who attempts to touch her, regardless of how benevolent his intentions may be? Do they know that regardless of how hard she tries, it is possible that she will never be able to fully trust anyone again? If they do know, do they even care? I'm going to say probably not, considering Brock's father blamed the attack on the victim due to her intoxication and her "sexual promiscuity."
Brock can sleep peacefully in his bubble of privilege. This woman's nightmares will never go away.
Regardless of the ignorance that the Turners choose to live in, rape is never justified. Regardless of the clothes one chooses to put on their body, or the amount of partners they have had in the past, sex without consent is rape. Sex with an unconscious woman is sure as hell rape, and no Brock, it doesn't matter at all that you're unhappy now. I would be too if I ruined a woman's life.
It's simple: don't have sex with somebody who does not want to have sex with you. Their clothes, their perceived behavior, and their drinking habits are irrelevant. This isn't rocket science.
