Why is it that the only time we talk about rape is when a rapist is convicted on national news? Studies and statistics prove that only 3 percent of all rapists will be convicted for their crime. Do not get me wrong, the Brock Turner case is absolutely disgusting, and the fact he is only serving three months in jail infuriates me. Let me ask you this though:
What about the other 97 percent of rapes that go unreported? Why aren't we talking about that problem?
Why does it take Brock Turner to show us that rape culture is still prevalent in our society? Why does Brock Turner have to blatantly prove that white privilege in our legal system grant him less time in jail? Why has it taken us this long to learn that rape is a severe crime?
Tell me.
Why? Why? Why?
Throughout my last four years in school, I have met countless survivors who have been raped and sexually assaulted by people they have known to love or meeting the person one night at a club. Rape is not sex. There is a strong difference between a not-so-great one night stand and being forced into sexual acts without giving consent. What Brock Turner did to that one girl in January 2015 happens to someone in the world every nine seconds.
Every nine seconds. Think about that.
I don't understand how our legal system continues to fail survivors of these crimes. The system continues to victim blame, saying that the rapist is the actual victim and completely shut out the survivor's side of the story completely. It is never the survivor's fault. Never ever. It does not matter what they were drinking, wearing, doing or saying. No one asks for to be raped. No one asks for pain that lasts a lifetime
The nation as a whole has been pretty supportive in taking action towards Brock Turner's *light* time in jail and making our voices heard to get him locked up in jail for more than three months. I have some words to say to on this matter.
To anyone has been raped or sexually assaulted:
You did not deserve to have anything bad done to you. You did not ask for anything to happen. You are not at fault. Whatever you do, keep going. Speak up whenever you get a chance on the lack of support from the legal system on rape cases and rape culture. Whatever you do, keep as much information as you can on your attack so your attorney can build you the strongest case there is. Seek justice because the more people who come forward on their attacks, the decrease in rape culture we will have. You are stronger than anyone else on this Earth and you are a warrior through and through.
To Brock Turner:
You are forever a rapist. You can say all you want that you never wanted that night to happen, but you knew exactly what you did was wrong and you did it anyway. You did nothing, but instill fear, heartache, devastation and a lifetime of healing for one innocent human. You could have gotten that girl to a safe place or given her some help. Instead you raped her. You didn't take proper action; you put yourself inside her and filled her with poison. You are poison, and nothing will ever change that. I hope your sentence eventually locks you up in jail forever and you never see the sunshine again.
I have spoken my thoughts on this matter.
It's time we listen to our survivors and give them the justice they deserve.
Every single person.
Most importantly, it's time we see rape for what it really is.
A crime.
