The definition of rape, according to the Merriam-Webster online dictionary is as follows:

An act or instance of robbing or despoiling or carrying away a person by force; unlawful sexual activity and usually sexual intercourse carried out forcibly or under threat of injury against the will usually of a female or with a person who is beneath a certain age or incapable of valid consent; an outrageous violation.

This word has become hot on everyone's lips as the act of rape put Stanford student and ex- swimmer Brock Turner in jail for up to six months, though Turner was told his good behavior can cut his sentence down to three months. At twenty years old, Turner is a convicted sex offender. I might not know too much about the world, but I do know that that is certainly not a way to be living life.

This boy -- because he does not deserve the title of "man" after he committed the crime -- was found raping an anonymous woman after a fraternity party at Stanford University. Please note the words in the definition: force, unlawful, incapable of valid consent, and an outrageous violation. These words describe the act of rape simply, and in turn describe Brock Turner's actions on the night of January 18, 2015.

Rape and sexual assault on college campuses is nothing new, which is not only disturbing but absurd. Cases similar, and including Brock Turner's, are the reason why girls like me have been told things such as never walk around without a friend, or are given gifts like pepper spray to carry around with us at all times. I've personally learned to put my keys between my fingers so I can hit someone and run if I am personally attacked -- which thankfully has not happened.

Girls have been conditioned to fear their college experience due to scary statistics, such as: for every 1,000 women on a college campus, 35 are sexually assaulted every academic year, or that less than five percent of completed or attempted rapes are reported to law enforcement. Rape has become a taboo, and if less than five percent of women feel comfortable telling the police -- someone that will help them -- that they've been sexually violated, than what kind of world do we live in?

Apparently, we currently live in a world where rape culture blames the victim, and a misogynistic judge only gives a guilty rapist three to six months (out of a maximum of 14 years) in jail because he thinks that jail will have a "severe impact" on the criminal. We live in a world where Brock Turner's father defends him and says that the six months is "a steep price to pay for twenty minutes of action out of his twenty plus years of life." Even to this day, according to Jeff Rosen, a Santa Clara District Attorney, Turner denies that he raped "Emily Doe," as the Stanford victim is known. Regardless of the victim's testimony, medical proof, and the witness' proof, Turner still claims that he had the consent of the (unconscious) woman.

Words cannot describe how angry I personally am about this situation, and I know I am not alone. Does the father of Brock Turner understand that in life, a single second can change everything? Does he know that those twenty minutes, those 1200 seconds, ruined that girl's self-image, confidence, peace of mind, and sexuality, among other things? Does Brock understand himself that he is not only a liar, but a despicable human being and part of the reason why girls can't live a normal life without fear of a situation like this? Will he ever understand that he is part of the reason why a girl's fear of sexual assault is, apparently, normal? Can the judge who sentenced Brock Turner even fathom a number of small crimes, in comparison to this one, keep people in jail for years? How, out of a 14-year, did he decide that six months was enough to change, if you will, a boy? And for all things good, how does six months in jail with a three-year probation equate to the amount of suffering Emily Doe will experience for years as she tries to overcome the defiling and alienation of her own body?

Words are powerful, and the public's attention to the case is even more so. Outraged citizens have not been shy to voice what they think about Mr. Turner. Social media has blown up with ridicule on the rapist, his father, and the judge. There has also been a circle of love, a support system that consists of the majority of the public, that supports Emily Doe. Her letter to her rapist was recently released. Between Jeff Rosen calling the letter, “the most eloquent, powerful and compelling piece of victim advocacy that I’ve seen in my 20 years as a prosecutor," and my own tears as I read the letter myself, I believe that Emily Doe truly proves how powerful words can be. Her letter shows how Brock Turner set the prime example for victim blaming, how he twisted the truth because she was not conscious to tell the events that happened. Emily Doe gives readers an inside look on what a rape victim actually feels, how twisted it makes their world and their lives. Normalcy isn't something that can simply be achieved after someone is raped, despite what people think.

Speaking out will make an impact on the world. Hopefully, the light on this case will continue to pressure colleges into making their students better educated on sexual assault-- how to prevent it, how to help someone in the case of it. There have been many breakthroughs on this front, but we still have so far to go. Check this website for updates on sexual assault awareness on college campuses. If you or anyone you know finds themselves in a sexual assault situation, use the National Sexual Assault Hotline, where a local RAINN (Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network) affiliate will help you find help as soon as possible.

In the mean time, sign this petition to have Judge Aaron Pesky, the judge on Turner's case, removed from the bench. Six months? Really? We all may be small, but together we are strong, and we will always find justice.