The sentencing of Russell Brand is not a turning point.

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To afford such a label would be to ignore that it has taken some seventeen years for justice. To ignore that one witness became the victim of death threats online. To ignore that the rapist’s own lawyer found it necessary to refer himself for aggression towards the journalist who uncovered his client’s behaviour.

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For this to be a turning point, the creative and entertainment industries must first acknowledge the role they play in enabling the behaviour on trial and at the centre of these convictions. Not through PR-drafted statements, vague promises or weak admissions that more could be done. But by accepting what was missed and that, collectively, the sector operates with a culture of open secrets and a belief that fame is a shield and status is a reason to look the other way.

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This cannot be dismissed as a one-off. Not when, this very week, allegations against another have been made public. Not when open secrets persist and the next documentary is already in pre-production.

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And the industry cannot mistake the lack of formal reporting for the absence of systemic abuse when many victims feel able to share their stories only quietly, too often prefixed with “I have nowhere else to go,” and the name of the union or organisation that failed them.

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A perpetrator being a friend, a boss or a mentor does not and must not be allowed to invalidate the experience of victims. Fear of retaliation and loss of work or opportunities cannot and must not be enabled as a tool of control to shape narrative, maintain perceptions and discredit victims. And a person’s credits and notoriety cannot and must not excuse their actions or attacks on those whose voices they believe beneath them.

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Too often industry leaders and organisations hide behind the idea that each case is the exception and claim it isn’t their job to fight this abuse. But if that’s true, whose job is it?

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It is not supposed to be the job of victims. It is not supposed to be the job of journalists or documentaries. It is not supposed to be the job of the few individuals who stand alone to call abusers out.

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The fact is, if today’s industry were capable of change, change would have come already. It’s time now to face that we are all responsible for that change.

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No one is just an actor. No one is just a journalist, a musician or another creative. No organisation is just a union, a production company or a funding body. The job of ending abuse should have to fall to nobody, and that is why it must now fall to all of us.

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We call on the government to act, not debate. To increase support for victims, ensure police forces are fully resourced, and force accountability for those who know but choose convenient ignorance.

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We call on industry leaders to stop telling us there isn’t a problem and start listening when we tell you there is.

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We call on every union, every company and every industry organisation to stop enabling a systemic cycle of abuse, whether through unconscious inaction or deliberate distraction. Review your processes. Protect those who speak out. Become less offended by your inaction being named than you are by the actions you are being asked to recognise.

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This is only the way things are because we let them be. Let’s make it a turning point.