predatory sexual assault, rape and criminal sexual acts, for which he could get a life sentence. He went to trial for these alleged crimes in January 2020.

Weinstein is a man who thrived on power and was well-liked by the public. Here’s the problem: The justice system is not built to take away power or represent women’s rights.

With the rise of the #MeToo movement, he has been ousted by his colleagues, but he is still given special treatment.

This special treatment comes in the form of sexism engendered in the U.S. courts. Women have been afraid to speak out against sexual harassment for centuries. Often, the harassment occurs in private. This makes it harder to prove in a trial. Not everyone is Gretchen Carlson, who recorded the horrendous things her Fox News executive Roger Ailes said.

We shouldn’t have to. If authorities don’t believe victims from the start, then the justice system has failed. So many men who harass and abuse women every day will never face justice.

Weinstein may be the monster of the moment, but the real problem is the public’s conscious effort to undermine the integrity of rape victims’ stories. Coming forward is already difficult enough for victims, so if they are ridiculed at every turn, their hope shrivels. In such traumatic crimes, the victim should be listened to, not met with further attacks.

Americans crave justice. The punishment must fit the crime, and punishing Weinstein is the right thing to do. However, if Weinstein’s case does not initiate a change in how the U.S. justice system treats victims of sexual assault and rape, justice will not have been served. By prosecuting only a few serial rapists and using them as a caricature for fighting evil, we are ignoring the real problem.