A little over a week ago, rapist Brock Turner was released from jail after his 3-month sentence ended. He returned to his home in Ohio, registered as a sex offender, and began a new life after prison. Aside from mandatory counseling sessions and probation, he is now living a semi-normal life.
Let that sink in. A convicted rapist, who impacted a young woman’s life in a way that can never be undone, is walking free after only 3 months of jail time. Believe it or not, that isn’t even the worst part.
The worst part is that nobody cares. There was minimal coverage of the incident. Sure the news networks carried a few obligatory headlines. However, no government official, presidential candidate, or major news anchor commented on it. I saw a few videos on my Facebook feed, but most of the public was consumed with Colin Kaepernick’s anthem protest. More people cared about a flag than a person.
I’ll give you some shocking news: every country has a flag. A flag is a symbol of a country’s history and values. However, it doesn’t actually do anything. It doesn’t change the fact that 18 percent of American women have been raped in their lifetime. No flag can alter the fact that a shockingly mere 12 percent of college rapes are even reported to law enforcement.
Every country has a flag. But not every country gives people the power to stand up to acts of sexual violence that change lives forever.
How can Americans possibly remain impartial to sexual assault any longer?
We’ve all been told at some point in our lives the basic sexual assault statistics. College students have sat at university-mandated training sessions and been forced to confront the horrors that 1 in 5 women go through while on campus. Anyone with a social media account has seen the posts, videos, and stories describing incidents and statistics. But these crimes still happen! Why?
Why do so many people not care?
1. “I’d never do that.”
Well thanks for the insight, Plato. Couldn’t have understood it without you. This excuse sounds so ridiculous when I put it in an article, yet it is the same reason that I hear so many men give when asked about sexual assault. This kind of self-centered thinking is the reason many Americans don’t know or don’t care about these crimes. Just because you’d never rape someone doesn’t automatically give you a free ticket to the “I don’t care” train. Instead, try caring about someone besides yourself. Show some compassion for a change and watch for the warning signs of sexual assault at all times.
2. "There are already laws, we just need to enforce them."
I’ve heard this one before too. Yes, we do have laws against sex crimes. Yes, some laws are better than no laws. But these laws are the same that gave a convicted rapist a 3-month jail term based on his apparent remorse. Ridiculous. Our laws are NOT good enough. I’m definitely in favor of a mandatory minimum sentence for sex crimes, and programs that encourage victims to speak out. Once sexual assaults become more publicized, it is more likely that action will be taken by the government and by the people to stop them.
3. "Alcohol is the real problem."
Saying alcohol is the cause of sexual assault is about as accurate and knowledgeable as saying NASA faked the moon landings. I’ll leave it at that.
4. "I can't do anything about it."
I’ve heard this one before as well. People think that their voice doesn’t matter, that their actions surely can’t inspire greater change, that one word won’t stop a sexual assault. Let me tell you something: Your actions can help. You do have the power to change lives. Your voice is strong enough to overcome the peer pressure or alcohol haze. Your presence and unyielding loyalty to a friend can prevent a life from shattering. All it takes is the courage to stand. It doesn’t matter who the perpetrator is. They could be the captain of the football team, the hot frat guy, or even your best friend. If you have the courage to stand up to bullies and criminals, others will follow.
It’s time to stop this America. It is time to stop being the hypocrites who go nuts when someone protests the “freedoms” the American flag represents, while ignoring a woman’s freedom to choose her own sexual partners. It is on all of us, regardless of our political beliefs, skin color, sexual orientation or religion, to unite and stand up for what is right. Sexual assault has an incomprehensible effect on the life of the victim. We the people, need to some complaining about trivial issues, and start working to resolve the ones that matter.
“I was not only told that I was assaulted, I was told that because I couldn’t remember, I technically could not prove it was unwanted. And that distorted me, damaged me, almost broke me. It is the saddest type of confusion to be told I was assaulted and nearly raped, blatantly out in the open, but we don’t know if it counts as assault yet. I had to fight for an entire year to make it clear that there was something wrong with this situation.” -Stanford University Victim’s Statement
