[user104658]

Originally Posted by Niamh.

Yeah, I don't understand why rapes and sexual assaults get treated with such piss poor sentencing, 9 victims so what? 1 year per victim? it's disgusting

I think it's basically linked to a problem that plays into all sorts of injustices; systems of power still don't REALLY place much emphasis in psychological harm and permanent damage to mental health. I guess it's also much harder to prove with concrete evidence.

In rape cases the psychological damage can often obviously be absolutely devastating. People's personalities can be changed forever, lives and relationships can be completely ruined, but the actual physical damage is often minor, temporary (or totally absent) and so it gets put more in the category of other assaults. With general assault, sentencing is harsh when there's lasting bodily harm but light when there are only minor injuries.

tl;dr the justice system doesn't take damage to mental health all that seriously.