Survivors Deserve Systems That Pursue Justice Without Causing Additional Harm.
HARRISBURG, Pa. — Today’s House Committee on Oversight hearing renewed serious concerns about survivor privacy, institutional accountability, and the Department of Justice’s handling of records connected to Jeffrey Epstein’s trafficking network.
During the hearing, former Attorney General Pam Bondi acknowledged the many redaction errors in the release of records tied to the Epstein investigation. While acknowledgment of those failures is important, survivors deserve more than just recognition after harm has occurred.
Respect Together joined more than 30 survivor advocacy and gender justice organizations in calling for accountability surrounding the Department of Justice’s handling of the Epstein files because survivors deserve systems that protect their dignity, privacy, and safety throughout every stage of the justice process.
“Survivors should never bear the consequences of institutional failures,” said Yolanda Edrington, CEO of Respect Together. “When systems responsible for pursuing justice compromise survivor privacy or trust, they create additional barriers for people already carrying the weight of trauma. Survivors deserve accountability processes that protect them every step of the way.”
The concerns raised by survivors and advocates extend beyond a single hearing or a single official. They raise broader questions about how institutions respond to sexual violence and human trafficking, whose interests are protected when failures occur, and whether survivors can trust systems charged with pursuing justice on their behalf. This is after the Department of Justice unlawfully withheld these records, as required by Congress through the passing of the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which increases survivor sentiment that not even the law can prevent those in power from protecting perpetrators of abuse.
For survivors of sexual violence and trafficking, privacy is not a procedural issue. Confidentiality is often a critical component of safety, healing, and participation in accountability processes. When sensitive information is mishandled, survivors can experience additional trauma, loss of trust, a sense of institutional betrayal, and fear of retaliation.
Across the country, advocates continue raising concerns that survivor information was exposed while questions remain about whether all credible allegations of abuse have been fully investigated and whether all responsible parties have been held accountable. Survivors deserve confidence that institutions handling these cases are prioritizing their rights, dignity, well-being, and the law.
At Respect Together, we believe accountability must apply equally to everyone. Public trust depends on the willingness of institutions to pursue the truth, protect survivors, and address failures when they occur.
What We Are Calling For
Respect Together continues urging the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform to require the Department of Justice to:
- Investigate and pursue accountability for all allegations of abuse contained in the Epstein files, regardless of who is implicated.
- Examine failures related to the handling, disclosure, or suppression of records connected to the investigation.
- Commit to trauma-informed approaches to investigating and prosecuting sexual violence, including training and practices that center survivor safety, dignity, and well-being.
- Prioritize survivor privacy and confidentiality in the release of remaining records, review previous disclosures that compromised survivor confidentiality, and take all possible steps to remove improperly released personal information from public circulation.
- Provide meaningful support, remediation, and assistance to survivors whose privacy was violated because of these failures.
Survivors deserve accountability. Survivors deserve protection. Survivors deserve systems worthy of their trust.
Respect Together will continue advocating for a future where institutions meet their obligations to protect the rights, dignity, privacy, and safety of survivors.