Epstein survivors break silence in Washington, demand release of secret files

A group of women who say they were survivors of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein have spoken to The New Arab's Arabic language edition about their experiences of sexual exploitation by the disgraced billionaire, urging the US government to release all documents linked to the case and the names of those involved.

The women were in Washington on Wednesday for a press conference organised by US lawmakers pushing for the files to be made public.

Republican representatives Thomas Massie and Marjorie Taylor Greene, and Democratic congressman Ro Khanna, are leading the effort to force a House vote on legislation that would compel the release of the records.

Marina Lacerda, one of the survivors speaking publicly for the first time, told Al Araby Al Jadeed she was only 14 when she was first victimised by Epstein.

She urged Congress and the Trump administration to publish the files, saying she was forced into Epstein’s mansion as a child.

Rina Oh, a well-known visual artist in New York who began speaking about her abuse in 2022, recalled meeting Epstein in 2000 when she was 20.

She said he offered her a scholarship to study at the School of Visual Arts, then sexually assaulted her. Originally from South Korea, Oh told Al Araby Al Jadeed that she believes she may be the only survivor from her country to have gone public.

Fighting back emotion, she said attending the press conference gave her "the feeling of being alive" after years of silence.

Another survivor, podcast host Lisa Phillips, said she was speaking publicly for the first time and felt proud to be in Washington supporting others who were breaking their silence.

The women described how they were coerced, threatened, and financially lured into recruiting other children as young as 14 and 15 for Epstein and his associates.

They said a network of wealthy, powerful men exploited them to expand the trafficking ring, and that attempts to walk away or speak out were met with threats.

Massie told Al Araby Al Jadeed that he and his colleagues would continue pressing for the release of the documents "for the victims' right to truth and justice".

Together with Khanna, he has filed a petition in the House requiring 218 signatures to trigger a vote. All 212 Democrats are expected to sign, along with at least four Republicans so far, leaving the lawmakers two short of the target.

Earlier this week, the House Oversight Committee published tens of thousands of Epstein-related documents, though Massie said most were already public.

Greene added that she would not hesitate to read out the names of those implicated if given the list, calling Epstein’s crimes "a black mark in American history" and accusing both Republican and Democratic administrations of trying to silence victims.

"America deserves the truth, and these women and children deserve justice," she said.