Kim Kardashian, Rihanna, and more continue 2017's trend of calling out injustice.

This morning, numerous celebrities took to social media to speak out about&nbsp;the hearbreaking case of Cyntoia Brown, who was arrested in 2004 at the age of 16 for killing Johnny Allen. While the case is a complex one, an oversimplified version&nbsp;is this: Brown&#39;s upbringing led her to be&nbsp;violently forced into prostitution as a minor,&nbsp;resulting in her being&nbsp;repeatedly assaulted, drugged and raped, all leading up to her going home with&nbsp;Allen, whom she shot when he pulled out a gun, believing that he meant to kill her. You can read more about Brown&#39;s story <a href="http://www.tennessean.com/story/news/crime/2016/06/30/ruling-offers-hope-teens-sentenced-life-but-not-tennessee/86247118/">here</a>, and watch her <a href="http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/films/me-facing-life/">documentary</a> on PBS. The harrowing tale sheds an ugly light on how the US justice system (and our culture as a whole) continues to punish victims&mdash;especially those of socio-economic&nbsp;circumstance.&nbsp;

Brown was tried as an adult, and given a life sentence&mdash;which, under Tennessee Law, means she will not be able to serve parole for 51 years. She will be 67 years-old then.&nbsp;

It&#39;s unclear why Kim Kardashian, Rihanna, T.I., and others chose today to bring attention to this case, but it is likely to do with an infographic floating around on&nbsp;social media detailing Brown&#39;s story. Those who are weary of &quot;thoughts and prayers&quot; posts for everything that&#39;s gone wrong in 2017 will be pleased to know that Kardashian pledged to take action with her condolences as well. &quot;The system has failed,&quot; she said in a tweet. &quot;It&rsquo;s heart breaking to see a young girl sex trafficked then when she has the courage to fight back is jailed for life! We have to do better &amp; do what&rsquo;s right. I&rsquo;ve called my attorneys yesterday to see what can be done to fix this.&quot;

Rihanna took to Instagram to lament the loss of justice in our country: &quot;did we somehow change the definition of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/justice/">#JUSTICE</a>&nbsp;along the way?? cause..... Something is horribly wrong when the system enables these rapists and the victim is thrown away for life! To each of you responsible for this child&#39;s sentence I hope to God you don&#39;t have children, because this could be your daughter being punished for punishing already!&quot;

<iframe frameborder="0" height="640" scrolling="no" src="https://www.instagram.com/p/Bbwi26PjHf7/embed" width="640"></iframe>

While Brown&#39;s case is one among many, we can only hope that continued attention from the media, celebrities, and the public can encourage our legislators to make some real changes in the justice system&mdash;and that this trend toward calling out injustices extends far past 2017. You can sign a petition to reopen and appeal Brown&#39;s case <a href="https://petitions.moveon.org/sign/free-cyntoia-brown">here</a>.

Celebrities Draw Attention to Sex-Trafficking Victim Cyntoia Brown

L'OFFICIEL USA June 2024 - Megan Thee Stallion Cover

L'OFFICIEL USA May 2024 - Jackson Wang Cover

L'OFFICIEL USA May 2024 - Natalie Portman Cover

L'OFFICIEL HOMMES USA April 2024 - Jake Gyllenhaal Cover

L'OFFICIEL HOMMES USA April 2024 - Zayn Malik Cover

L'OFFICIEL USA March 2024 - Dakota Johnson Cover

L'OFFICIEL USA December/January 2024 - Vanessa Kirby Cover

L'OFFICIEL USA November 2023 - Sofia Richie Grainge Cover

L'OFFICIEL HOMMES USA Fall 2023 - Nicholas Galitzine

L'OFFICIEL USA Fall 2023 - Jay Chou Cover

Celebrities Draw Attention to Sex-Trafficking Victim Cyntoia Brown

Recommended posts for you

Pop culture

15 Stunning Photos From the 2024 Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony

Fashion

Every Celebrity Spotted at the 2024 Olympic Games Prelude Party

Fashion

Beat The Summer Heat In Style With Streamlined Business Casual Attire

Film & TV

Everything To Know About the 2024 Venice Film Festival

Beauty

Collagen Face Masks Are The Skincare Secret To Maintaining Your Summer Glow

Fashion

Ethel Cain Explores Ethereal Aesthetics Through Her Singular Sartorial Sense

Fashion

Where to Shop for Unique Charms

Fashion

A Deep Dive into Lily Collins' Style Evolution