‘To girls everywhere, I am with you’: Women read viral rape victim impact statement

THE Stanford rape victim said she chose to remain anonymous because she was “every woman”. So news.com.au put other faces to her powerful words.

The Stanford rape victim says she stands for ‘every woman’.

IT’S the rape case the world cannot ignore, after a 22-year-old woman who was sexually assaulted at a frat party while unconscious shared an unforgettable statement.

The young woman was attacked by Stanford swim star Brock Turner, who was stopped when two students cycling past pinned him down until police arrived and arrested him.

He was sentenced to six months jail and three months probation last week, and permanently banned from the university.

Many have criticised his sentence as being too lenient, although incredibly, he’ll do more jail time than 97 per cent of rapists.

Turner has defended himself in a statement, and his father called the pain his son was suffering “a steep price to pay for 20 minutes of action”, while a friend of his argued that “rape on campuses isn’t always because people are rapists ... It is because these universities market themselves as the biggest party schools in the country”.

But it is the victim’s powerful 7000-word statement, which we published on Monday, that endures as the most compelling account of the crime, its consequences and its causes.

Brock Turner, right, has tried to use college drinking culture as a defence for the attack.

The woman who was raped has spoken out since her extraordinary words went viral across the world, saying she was “overwhelmed and speechless” at the support.

But the now 23-year-old said she chose to remain anonymous to protect her identity, but “also as a statement, that all of these people are fighting for someone they don’t know.”

That’s why news.com.au has made a video of other young women reading out the words from her statement — because the victim could be your daughter, your mother, you sister, or the stranger on the street.

“I don’t need labels, categories, to prove I am worthy of respect, to prove that I should be listened to,” the victim told The Guardian. “I am coming out to you as simply a woman wanting to be heard. Yes there is plenty more I’d like to tell you about me. For now, I am every woman.”

If you or someone you know is impacted by sexual assault, domestic or family violence, call 1800 RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or visit 1800RESPECT.org.au. In an emergency, call 000.