After the dramatic turn of events following Turner’s rape case, so many people from all over the world and online were infuriated—I myself included. I consider myself a feminist, but it’s situations like these that move me into voicing out on the cause even more. Turner has just been released from Santa Clara County jail after just three months. His original sentence? Six months. His maximum sentence? 14 years in state prison. What bothered me even more than the case’s insensibly merciful verdict however, was the way Turner’s parents responded to the situation.

Saying that 14 years in prison is a “steep price to pay for 20 minutes of action” completely misses the point. The price is steep and that’s because rape is a very serious crime. If Brock Turner can easily skirt around the rule of law, then others after him can follow suit.

The fact that Turner isn’t expressing any sincere remorse—altering narratives to fit his description of that dreadful night, being unapologetic and unsympathetic towards the victim—makes him unworthy of early release. While Dan Turner is insistent that his son is going through some sort of post-traumatic stress, Turner’s party fails to recognize that victims of rape experience an even more devastating psychological trauma.

And this is the reality that rape victims have faced in times past. Majority of these victims are unable to recover knowing that their rapists still run free. Victims of rape are also treated as specimens under a microscope; that is to say, they lose their sense of identity while undergoing the process of trial. With the tiresome interrogations and hearings, constantly being referred to as “the rape victim” can take a toll on the aggrieved party.

With all of these in mind, I mull over the present state of our own rape cases. Today, most cases of rape in the Philippines are swept under the rug, dismissed as results of being intoxicated, wearing provocative clothing, and other far worse alibis than those suggested by Brock Turner himself.

I speak out to all the parents reading this column. You have a moral obligation to educate your sons and daughters about rape. Don’t perpetuate rape culture by excusing your children’s misdeeds. Set the example for your children, so that they don’t sexualize their peers.

To my peers, consider our position as Ateneans. We’re so used to receiving backlash for being “privileged.” I’d like to see this from another light. Consider us privileged for being able to afford an Atenean education, whether through our parents’ income, a scholarship, or a financial aid. But after having gone down from the hill, what do we choose to do with this privilege?

Whoever you are, whether rich or poor, an athlete, a scholar, a valedictorian, or what have you: No achievement, amount of wealth, or social class can excuse the fact that you’ve done a crime. If you’ve committed a crime, you suffer the consequences.

And finally to you, Mr. Brock Turner, please don’t waste your time giving talks about binge drinking and the culture of alcoholism. If you want to redeem yourself and give back to society in a net positive way, go to jail, suffer the consequences, inform the rapists who end up in your place that rape is wrong, and admit that there is no way that you can get away with rape.