When the Focus Is on Files, Survivors Are Left Behind

The phrase “Epstein Files” feels inescapable. Pages of documents are flooding social media, filled with heavy redactions that claim to protect survivors’ identities while obscuring the names of those who trafficked, sexually abused, and raped children. Black lines attempt to conceal the power imbalance at the heart of these crimes. Some of the world’s wealthiest and most powerful people exploited vulnerable children, using empty promises, threats, and enticements to pull at-risk girls into cycles of abuse.

And yet, much of the public conversation treats the “Epstein Files” like a true-crime miniseries. A spectacle. A puzzle to be solved. Something detached from real human beings. Children.

Survivors are here, though. They are speaking out, telling the truth, and taking a stand. Many are also absorbing harassment from internet trolls and even large mainstream media personalities. Virginia Giuffre, one of the most prominent survivors of Jeffrey Epstein’s abuse, died by suicide last April. Her death is a stark reminder of the lifelong toll sexual violence can take.

Nearly half of all American women report experiencing some form of sexual violence, according to the CDC. It is common for survivors to come forward years or decades later. Yet when they do, they are often met with disbelief, minimization, or cruel rationalizations. Comments like “Well, you weren’t eight, you were fifteen” echo across major media outlets and platforms, dismissing harm and reinforcing silence. 

Women around the world are watching this unfold. Some are speaking about their own abuse for the first time. Others are deciding whether it is safe to ever speak at all. And what they are seeing, again and again, is that survivors are questioned, doubted, and explained away.

Sexual violence is not rare or distant. Statistically, everyone knows someone who has been abused, even if they do not know it yet or have never been told. Survivors are in our families, our workplaces, our friend groups, and our communities. The way we talk about high-profile cases sends a message to them about whether it is safe to speak, whether they will be believed, and whether their pain will be taken seriously.

And abuse does not exist in a vacuum. Trafficking and exploitation rely on silence, on people looking away, on warning signs being ignored. If something feels off, it probably is. Paying attention and speaking up can interrupt harm before it escalates, or stop it from continuing and claiming more victims.

So how do we change that? How do we turn the focus away from documents and spectacle and back toward survivors?

Ways to Center and Support Survivors

Believe survivors.

You do not need all the details to offer belief. Start with listening, without interrogation or judgment. Tell them you believe them and thank them for sharing. Support them whether or not they choose to report, and on their own timeline.

Shift your language.

Talk about people, not files. Survivors, not scandals. Abuse, not rumors. Words matter.

Challenge minimization when you hear it.

Age, clothing, behavior, or time passed never negate harm. If someone dismisses abuse, speak up when it is safe to do so.

Avoid sharing sensational content.

Before reposting, ask whether it informs, supports, or protects survivors. If it treats abuse as entertainment, pause.

Amplify survivor voices responsibly.

Share survivor statements, advocacy work, or calls for systemic change rather than speculation or conspiracy.

Educate yourself and others.

Learn how grooming works, why delayed disclosure is normal, and how power and coercion silence victims.

Support survivor-serving organizations.

Donate, volunteer, or share resources from organizations like Lumina Alliance who provide shelter, therapy, advocacy, and prevention.

Model compassion.

The way you talk about survivors publicly shapes whether others feel safe enough to speak.

When we center survivors, we move away from voyeurism and toward accountability, healing, and prevention. Survivors are not footnotes in a scandal. They are people deserving of dignity, care, and lasting healing.

If you are a survivor of sexual assault, childhood sexual abuse, intimate partner violence, or domestic violence and are seeking support, call (805) 545-8888.