July 9, 2019

Like countless other victims’ rights organizations across the country, CAASE is heartened by the prospect of Jeffrey Epstein finally being held appropriately accountable for his sexual exploitation of teenage girls. We are hopeful that survivors will receive the justice they seek and undoubtedly deserve. However, CAASE is troubled by the language journalists have used to describe Epstein’s victims and the crimes against them. An exchange during the July 9 episode of the New York Times’ “The Daily” podcast between host Michael Barbaro and Miami bureau chief Patricia Mazzei caught our attention particularly. 

In discussing the non-prosecution agreement from 2008 (which resulted in a solicitation of prostitution conviction for Epstein instead of more serious sex trafficking charges), the pair implied that had Epstein’s victims been adults instead of children when his crimes occurred, they wouldn’t actually be victims. 

Buying sex is not a victimless crime. Ignoring that reality denies the plethora of harms and vulnerabilities faced by those in the sex trade. Barbaro and Mazzei’s words imply that if Epstein’s victims were adults, his actions would not have been exploitative. 

From our work with survivor-leaders, we know that prostitution and trafficking are inextricably linked. We know that survivors of all ages experience staggering levels of emotional trauma and physical harm and have higher rates of PTSD than combat veterans. In the initial investigation by the Miami Herald, two of Epstein’s victims publicly spoke of the trauma they still experience from his actions, and how he deliberately sought out and took advantage of girls who were living in poverty and came from disadvantaged families. Both factors are common on-ramps into prostitution and trafficking at any age.

As Epstein’s case continues to unfold, we ask the New York Times’ and other news outlets to recognize that prostitution is not a victimless crime. We hope they’ll avoid using language that minimizes survivors’ trauma and their experiences leading to and within the sex trade.