Stop Talking About Judge Aaron Persky | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Politics and Activism

Stop Talking About Judge Aaron Persky

Three things that are more important than talking about a judge.

46
Stop Talking About Judge Aaron Persky
US Magazine

If you’ve looked at Facebook recently you’ve probably read about the case involving sexual assault at Stanford University. Star athlete and student Brock Turner was proven guilty of sexually assaulting an “anonymous unconscious woman.” He was then sentenced by Judge Aaron Persky to 6 months in jail (instead of the many years that were recommended). As with any controversy, two sides have seemed to emerge. One side includes those who agree with the six-month sentencing. The other includes people who believe that this sentencing is too light and demonstrates how unbalanced the justice system is. These two arguments seem to make up most of our newsfeed and can be overhead in many conversations.

Although I too have an opinion on the matter, I am afraid that with as much as we talk about Brock Turner, Judge Aaron Persky, and the bias of the legal system we are overlooking one very important part of this story- the “anonymous unconscious woman”. She has a voice, and it’s the one we should be hearing.

I encourage you to take time to read the closing court statement given by the victim. The Washington Post has a great article out that includes the whole closing statement. While she understands, more than anyone, how unjust it was for her attacker to be given such a light sentence she didn’t use the majority of her time to speak out against the legal system. Instead, she used her time to encourage and inspire everyone to get involved in stopping this kind of crime from happening again.

In an attempt to let her voice be heard, here are 3 things you can do right now to make a difference:

1. Educate yourself and others about sexual assaults (particularly campus sexual assaults).

Sexual assault is not just rape. Sexual assault can be rape, attempted rape, and any other type of sexual contact without the consent of both people involved.

According to research done by several sources including Rogers William University: One in Five woman have been sexually assaulted in college. While many people have heard this statistic before I am afraid that we just turn a blind eye to the facts. To put things in perspective- one in every six people have blue eyes. Using these statistics if a group of ten college females was gathered at random one would have blue eyes while TWO would have experienced sexual assault. This should not be happening. On top of that, it is estimated that only 12% of campus sexual assaults are reported. There is no ignoring the fact that sexual assault is an epidemic. It’s time to educate ourselves on the facts and raise awareness of a problem that seems to be taking over our society.

2. Educate yourself about the lifelong impact sexual assault can have on the victim.

Sexual assault permanently changes the life of the victim. To Brock Turner’s father what happened was just "twenty minutes of action.” It is people like this who need to understand that those “twenty minutes of action” will forever have an impact in the victims life.

Survivors of sexual assault are likely to develop mental health disorders. The victim in this case talks about the crippling fear and anxiety she deals with on a daily basis. Many survivors of sexual assault will develop major depression as a result of the trauma they experienced. As many as 13% of sexual assault victims will attempt suicide. This means that sexual assault doesn’t just effect a persons life but can also lead to death.

On top of major depression, many sexual assault victims will develop Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). This disorder can cause the victims to have flashbacks, anxiety, and more depression. PTSD can develop immediately after a traumatic event has occurred or it could surface years later. Mental health disorders of any kind take hold of a persons’ life. Dealing with any kind of trauma- especially sexual assault- will never leave the mind of the victim.

On top of struggles with mental health issues, survivors of sexual assault are also likely to experience difficultly within their relationships. For obvious reasons, survivors may feel reserved and unable to fully trust romantic partners in the future. Although this can be worked through, sexual relationships will always present a challenge for the survivors of sexual assault.

This kind of crime changes a person from the inside out.

3. Do something to make a difference.

Everyone knows someone who has been a victim of sexual assault- whether you know their name or not. It could be anyone- your mom, your sister, your best friend, your girlfriend. It is crucial that we raise awareness for the issue and show support to the ones who have experienced sexual assaults.

We cannot keep treating this topic as a taboo. It is hurting the people you love. Raising awareness and support will help bring healing to the hurting and justice to those who deserve it. It will help the other 84% of victims come out and report what happened to them.

Raise your voice. Support the ones you know who have experienced sexual assault and understand the unspoken challenges they face everyday.

It’s time we understand the severity of this crime. Only then can things begin to change.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Lifestyle

10 Signs You Work In A Restaurant

There's always chaos in the restaurant business.

232
10 Signs You Work In A Restaurant
Brisanis

Working in the restaurant industry is possibly the most fundamentally challenging occupation I have ever experienced when it comes to hospitality and customer service. When you go to a five-star restaurant you expect the time of your life, a two hour getaway, a walk through another time period (rustic Italy, France, Spain, etc), or simply a honeymoon undergo. What you don't see are the behind the scenes scut work: carrying trays, polishing glassware and silverware, kitchen chaos, the list is endless. Now, I'm not saying being a host, server, or bartender is the worst thing in the whole wide world, there are definitely worse things. But the fact of the matter is that it isn't always sunshine and rainbows. In the two years that I have spent in restaurant and customer service, I have spoken my share of expletives, yelled at kitchen staff, and dealt with not-so-happy guests. It isn't easy to keep a bright and shiny smile on your face when all you want to do is choke every person who walks near you. Anyone who has spent even two weeks working in a restaurant understands the rigor and stress that comes with it. Restaurant culture is a tiny world in and of itself that operates on its own principles and creates its own society. It even has its own language. The sayings "runner", "corner", and "on a bus" wouldn't make sense to anyone otherwise. My mother and I both work in a restaurant and the best advice I can give someone going out to eat is to treat us like people. Yes...believe it or not we are people, people. Say "please" and "thank you", or stack your cleared plates before a busser gets to the table. Trust me, the gesture goes a lot farther than you may think.

So, if you work in a restaurant, you can relate with the following points. If not, check out how the brain of a restaurant service (or any customer service) worker actually works. See if you can identify any crazy weird habits your friends have a tendency to partake in.

Keep Reading...Show less
Adulting

11 Things I Learned My Freshman Year of College

Not everything you learn in college can be found in a textbook.

221
Breanna Vogel
Breanna Vogel

One of the scariest things we will ever face in our life is going to college. Many of us move away to a new town, join new organizations, and make new friends. We are expected to study, have a social life, relationships, maybe work, and be healthy. It seems pretty easy to do, and in high school all we wanted to do was graduate and move on to this next chapter of our lives. If you are in high school, here are some things that you can learn from before you get to college. If you have already been through your freshman year of college, hopefully you can relate to the things I have learned in college.

Keep Reading...Show less
how to get away with murder
Tumblr

It's about that time where we are too tired to do anything productive, too cold to leave bed, and too lazy to find a new show to watch so we result to re-runs.

For all of you home-bodies, for all of you cold weather haters, here are my suggestions for this holiday break. Let the binging begin!

Keep Reading...Show less
Relationships

12 Long-Term Relationship Milestones

You've got a keeper if you've made it to any of these milestones.

646
couple on the beach
Pexels

You've been together for so long. It's great. And as the time spent in your relationship grows, you hit certain milestones where you know it's real. These can be make-or-break moments, or just little things where you finally realize that you're both doing it. Everybody hits these milestones, no matter how long it takes; they're inevitable.

You know you've made it when you hit these long-term relationship milestones.

Keep Reading...Show less
10 Of The Best Shows To Binge Watch Over Winter Break

As the semester is coming to an end, most of us are going to have more free time on our hands. This calls for binge watching a new show on Netflix and really using this break to relax from the stress of school. Here are some of the best shows on Netflix that you should be watching.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments