According to RAINN.ORG, every 107 seconds another American is sexually assaulted. Depending on how fast you read, one to three people will be assaulted by the time you're done reading this piece. This means over 293,000 Americans are sexually assaulted annually. 98% of Rapists will ever spend a day in jail. Often times, even convicted rapists are let off easily and portrayed as the victim rather than the perpetrator by media and the legal system. Those convicted with less severe sexual assault related crimes such as sexual battery are even less likely to see jail time.

So all victims are subject to being more likely to suffer from depression, PTSD, alcohol and drug abuse and suicidal thoughts but only 2% of rapists will ever get legal ramifications? It seems ridiculously unfair.

Let's look at how some recent articles portrayed victims and perpetrators.

I read a Jezebel article recently about Brock Turner who raped Emily Doe, an unconscious woman behind a dumpster in 2015. Some of her statements in court addressed the hypocrisy in the media and in her perpetrator's court statements.

Despite having eye witnesses, a slew of physical evidence, a heart-wrenching and compelling victim testimony, and a three-count conviction, Emily Doe's rapist was sentenced to six months in country jail with probation--a high probability of only having to serve three months in county for good behavior.

Emily Doe's statement puts a voice to feelings that I as a survivor of multiple assaults and years of abuse have never been able to articulate just right. Her full statement is available at Palo Alto Online.

In Turner's court statements he never admitted remorse or guilt for the rape, but attributed his attack on Emily to rape culture and drinking on campus. He spoke about how one night of drinking "could ruin a life."

Emily's powerful statement speaks on the aftermath of rape on survivors and how even though their pain may no longer be visible,
it is very real. It also speaks to the frequency at which commenters noted how bad they feel that a white male athlete attending an Ivy League university made such a poor choice affecting his future. What about Emily Doe's future? Brock Turner chose to rape Emily Doe; Emily Doe didn't choose to be raped, and yet people act like she is to blame.

Emily Doe spoke out in court, on the record, to her attacker about being belittled and blamed by the media and about how unfairly the media portrayed her. She spoke on how rape, the reporting process, and rape culture affected her personally and made her question her own worth. This woman is a hero for calling out an ever present media bias and America and their justice system for continuing to blame survivors instead of punish perpetrators. To give Brock Turner a sentence of six months in county jail which he can reasonably serve only three of is an insult to Emily Doe and her experience as a survivor of sexual assault and an insult to all women. Brock Turner is part of the 2% of rapists who will see jail time, but it was at a huge expense to Emily Doe.

Brock Turner's mugshot has now also mysteriously disappeared from the internet and has been replaced on many sites with his Stanford yearbook photo.

Media Bias: 2 Women: 0

I encourage you to look at how victims of assault and abuse are portrayed in the media and why they're blamed and demonized for their own attacks and their actions post-attack.