A Stanford student rapes a woman. He is caught doing it. She is unconscious. She doesn’t remember what happened, but she feels she has lost her worth, dignity, confidence and sense of safety. Let me ask you a simple question; how would you feel if your rapist was sentenced to the ridiculously light sentence of six months? Half a year for a crime that may take a lifetime for you to get over. He serves half a year while you serve a decade in therapy and on medication just so you can cope with the horrible things he did to you.
My guess is you wouldn’t be able to sleep at first, from the fear of going to sleep and being violated. Just like she was. After reading the horrific details in the news and the victim's letter to her rapist, I couldn't help but cry. How can a judge give such a light sentence and be so lenient after all of that horror?
The judge gave him such a light sentence because the student has a clean record and, in the judges words, prison would “have a severe impact on him." There are many reasons why this is not only wrong, but dangerous and why we need to take rape more seriously.
By giving this person such a light sentence, we are basically saying that this woman’s pain and suffering isn’t as important as keeping the perp “comfortable." Society protects its men. If you are a popular college football player and you rape a college girl, the school more likely than not will cover it up until after the big game. Women get paid less than men for doing the exact same job, a student who can make their college look good will be protected and the military covers up military rape like it’s no big deal. These are only a few examples, but there are plenty more.
This woman will have to recover for a very long time. Yet, the judge is worried about the perp. This is a huge issue.
A sanction this light sets a bad example for other young men (and judges). I don’t care who you are. I don’t care if you are an A plus student at an Ivy League college with a totally clean criminal record; if you do a crime, you better be prepared to do time that fits it. The Craigslist killer was a top Ivy League student and he hunted down women on Craigslist and killed them. He was loved by everyone. Yikes, people. Get your facts straight. Everyone is capable of rape. I am not saying this so you can live a life of fear, but it is true and it is a fact that we have to come to terms with.
By giving such a light sentence, it is now assumed that anyone with a clean record can rape and get off easy. “That kid from Stanford only got six months, why can’t this young man also get that little amount of time?” I can see it now. Defense attorneys asking this question over and over again until all rapists get six months and then they are back on the streets, most likely raping again.
Not only should rapists have to serve more than six months regardless of age, but they also need an extensive amount of psychiatric help, lessons on consent and other therapies in order to be useful members of society - rather than create victims out of college students, friends, co-workers and family members. This takes a lot of time.
This reminds me of a case about six months ago where a rich man from the UK claimed he “fell into” an unconscious intoxicated woman in his apartment. The truth is, he raped her and used the “fell into” excuse in order to get a lighter sentence. Not only did he get a lighter sentence, but he got off all together.
This is a wake up call for all of us. We have to stop protecting our men and start helping our victims feel safe again. I can guarantee you that at least one person you know is a victim of assault. Help her/him. Help them recover by changing the way our world looks at rape. It makes me sick thinking that a judge who devotes his life to justice gave this perp such a mild sanction. How about justice for that poor victim? She won't get it now.
The Stanford verdict is a huge loss to our world and the victims who live in it. We can not sit idly by while cases like these go stale. When are we going to start caring about the long term effects that rape has on a victim? When are we going to stop focusing on whether or not the victim is lying and start focusing on whether or not the perp is guilty?
We can start any time. It’s matter of taking a stand, making some noise and promoting change. For our younger generations, we have to pave the way and leave the world better than we found it. This change starts with us. Raise your voice, share your opinions, make sure the world knows that this is not OK. My heart goes out to the survivor and her family. Hopefully justice will be served soon.
