In March, 20-year-old Brock Allen Turner, a former swimmer at Stanford, was found guilty of three counts of sexual assault. The assault, which occurred in January 2015, took place behind a dumpster; the victim was unconscious, half-naked and was found by two men on bicycles.

There are several reasons why this story is blood-boiling. But I’ll begin with the sentence received last Thursday and perhaps the most disturbing aspect of this story other than the assault itself; Turner will serve a short, incredibly lenient sentence of six months in county jail, three years probation and will remain a registered sex offender for the duration of his life — albeit a humane and moderate sentence, to say the least. Not to mention, for a crime of this nature, he could have received up to 14 years in prison. Six months. Six. Months. That is what he will serve; three with good conduct.

The victim's letter to her assailant, which she read in the courtroom, is going viral and with good reason. The victim addresses the defendant directly for much of her testament, stating (to Turner) “your damage was concrete; stripped of titles, degrees, enrollment. My damage was internal, unseen, I carry it with me. You took away my worth, my privacy, my energy, my time, my safety, my intimacy, my confidence, my own voice, until today.” Her testimony is horrifying. But it’s also powerful beyond measure. And it speaks volumes about our justice system and the way we look at (campus) rape and sexual assault. Because truthfully, campus rape is not different from any other kind of rape. Rape is rape and a rapist is a rapist.

The victim goes on to say what her expectations were after her assault. She states she figured there was no way this stood a chance at trial, and in my opinion, it’s a no-brainer that Turner should’ve received more time behind bars than he’s receiving, but more on that in a minute. The victim said because of the witnesses, dirt in and on her body, lacerations on her genitalia, and the fact that her assailant ran from the witnesses but was pinned down by them, she had a pretty solid case. Instead, the victim was told her assailant hired a powerful attorney, witnesses, and private investigators who were going to attempt to find “mistakes” in her story, and use elements of her personal life to make her story look like a constructed mess. She was told she could lose. And she was told to prepare for just that.

Additionally, and what’s perhaps worse, she wasn’t just told that she was assaulted when she woke up in a hospital the next morning, but she was also informed that since she didn’t remember, she “technically could not prove it was unwanted.” She stated, “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.” She continues, “I was pummeled with narrowed, pointed questions that dissected my personal life, love life, past life, family life, inane questions, accumulating trivial details to try and find an excuse for this guy who had me half naked before even bothering to ask for my name.”

So, why? Why is this an ongoing occurrence in our justice system of victim-blaming, and protecting the reputation and status of the assailant versus making sure the victim is physically and more importantly, mentally, stable? Unfortunately, we’ve seen and heard this story before. And as a sexual assault survivor myself, I don’t say that to discredit this particular story in any way. I just mean, we’ve heard it through and through — the college student who has their dignity, freedom and self-respect stripped from them along with their clothing in a desperate attempt on the assailant’s part to feel some sense of power in a world that is, for the most part, power-driven. And what’s worse, is we too often hear that along with this story, the victim is not believed – that like Turner, the assailant had a “bright future” (or something along those lines) to discredit the horrific actions they took. This trend cannot continue. We cannot sit back and watch as countless victims try to regain some sense of self-worth after their assault and watch as their assailant’s walk away with little to no punishment.

Additionally, it’s worth noting that in this particular story, not only was the victim told her story may not stick because she was unconscious during her assault, but she prepared for the trial by reliving her sexual assault day after day to practice for the abrasive questions she would be asked — questions that are designed to get victims off track and to contradict themselves and their stories.

In addition to the powerful testimony released from the victim, a letter from Turner’s father was also released. He pleads that the sentence his son received is a “steep price to pay for 20 minutes of action out of his 20 plus years of life.” He goes on to say that “he has no prior criminal history and has never been violent to anyone including his actions on the night of January 17, 2015.” Additionally, he says, “Brock can do so many positive things as a contributor to society and is totally committed to educating other college age students about the dangers of alcohol consumption and sexual promiscuity.” Now, let me be clear, I’ve never been a parent. I don’t know what it’s like to be responsible for another life. But I do hope to be someday. I hope that someday I can teach my children that respect for other people is expected, always, regardless of the situation or differences between them. And thankfully, I have parents who have taught me just that. But this isn’t about me nor is it about my parents' parenting skills. This is about how wrong this situation is, how stories like this one have become the "norm," and how evidently, neither Brock or Dan Turner have a grasp around the seriousness that is sexual assault and rape. Also, let’s address that rape is not a drinking problem. I know plenty of people who can go out, have a great time with alcohol in tote, and not rape anyone. It’s about respect. Or at least, that's what it's about in my head. Again, rape is rape and sexual assault is sexual assault, alcohol involved or not.

Lastly, it’s worth noting that Brock Turner’s mug shot was never released to the public. According to a representative at Stanford University’s Department of Public Safety, the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Department “does have a mug shot for Brock Turner on file, but “they will not be releasing it,” offering no further explanation, according to CrimeFeed.com and Amelia McDonell-Parry. Brock Turner was convicted of rape. He is no different than any other rapist, which just goes to show that our culture plays strongly in favor of the assailant.

Let me be clear — I don’t have the answers. I don’t think there is going to be one magical “thing” that is going to take away the sexual assaults and rapes and violent crimes that occur on our planet. But there are things we can do. We can look out for one another. We can teach our daughters and sons that respect has to occur in all scenarios and that obtaining consent is a form of respect, even when drinking is involved. We can stand beside the victims, like Turner’s victim, who are heroic in sharing their stories and in advocating for others. We can believe the victims. We can honor others, because on a human level, it should be our duty to respect and look out for one another. In her final paragraph of her testimony, Turner’s victim eloquently thanks those who have helped her on her journey and states the following:

“And finally, to girls everywhere, I am with you. On nights when you feel alone, I am with you. When people doubt you or dismiss you, I am with you. I fought everyday for you. So never stop fighting, I believe you. As the author Anne Lamott once wrote, “Lighthouses don’t go running all over an island looking for boats to save; they just stand there shining.” Although I can’t save every boat, I hope that by speaking today, you absorbed a small amount of light, a small knowing that you can’t be silenced, a small satisfaction that justice was served, a small assurance that we are getting somewhere, and a big, big knowing that you are important, unquestionably, you are untouchable, you are beautiful, you are to be valued, respected, undeniably, every minute of every day, you are powerful and nobody can take that away from you. To girls everywhere, I am with you. Thank you.”