She was gang-raped on a bus in Delhi, India, one month ago. She was 23. A male companion of hers who accompanied her on the trip was also beaten by the attackers. After the attacks, the victims were thrown from the moving bus. On Dec. 29, the Indian woman, recently confirmed as Jyoti Singh Pandey, died from injuries sustained during the attack.

Before Pandey’s death, thousands of Indians took to the street to protest. They spoke out against the government’s inability to protect women. They spoke out against the way police handled these kinds of attacks. They spoke out against the fear women feel when they’re out alone.

The death of Pandey mobilized the entire nation: Indian cities distanced by geography, language and cultural differences are united in trying to make India a safer place. Despite violence from Indian police forces, Indians continue their protests.

Across the ocean in Western countries, it can be easy to look at the gang rape in India and blame this violent act on a different culture. 

The police and court system in the United States is very different from India, but the problem isn’t necessarily vested in police enforcement. It’s also in a rape culture, which is prevalent in the United States, too.

In Steubenville, Ohio, a high school girl was partying with members of the football team. She woke up the next morning not remembering anything. Gradually, she figured out what she thinks took place that night: She may have been sexually assaulted several times throughout the night at several different parties.

Perhaps most disturbing in the Ohio case is that some students filmed and took photos of the incident and put them on social media. One photo showed the girl unconscious and being carried by boys at the party. These students referred to her as the “dead girl.”

This nation’s leaders are also accountable for a lot of the misinformation surrounding sexual assault. Former U.S. Rep. Todd Akin, R-MO, has made factually inaccurate statements about rape. In regards to pregnancy as a result of rape, he said, “If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down.” 

Aside from the fact that Akin is implying that there is such a thing as illegitimate rape, he is spreading inaccurate and harmful information.

Police in this country, like police in India, partake in victim blaming — rape is never the victim’s fault. Elected leaders in both India and the United States need to do more to protect their citizens. But the citizens of India and the United States are reacting very differently to similar issues.

In response to the alleged Ohio rape, the group Anonymous released the names of players from Steubenville High School’s football team, claiming they are the attackers. But aside from the actions of Anonymous and a few protests in Ohio, the United States remains largely unchanged after the alleged attack.  

The Indian protests will not eradicate sexual assaults in the country, but they are creating a gradual change. Until Americans are willing to mobilize like Indian protesters and endure the hardships of these protestors, rape culture will remain prevalent in the United States. We can’t keep waiting for this rape culture to change.