A woman who claims to have been abused by Jeffrey Epstein has recounted her experiences with the late financier after being named in the Department of Justice’s recently released files on him.
Numerous documents were made public in late January amid demands for the full disclosure of Epstein’s files. However, instead of revealing Epstein’s associates, the names of several victims were disclosed, including Juliette Bryant.
Bryant has given an emotional interview to Sky News, discussing how she was recruited by Epstein in 2002. She kept her experiences hidden until Epstein’s death in 2019. Bryant was 20 years old at the time she was recruited in Cape Town, South Africa, and initially believed she had found a way to achieve her dreams.
“It just seemed like my dreams were all coming true because our family was struggling financially and I just really wanted to try and make a difference for my family,” Bryant stated to Sky News.
Three weeks after meeting Epstein at a restaurant in the company of Bill Clinton, Bryant was flown to New York. Shortly after, she was sent to the Caribbean.
She traveled to the Caribbean on a private jet where she encountered Epstein once again, along with the women who had recruited her.
Bryant recounted, “He patted the chair next to him… and then I went and sat there. It was such a confusing situation for a young person to be in.”
“As the plane took off, he started forcibly touching me in between my legs, and I just freaked out and I suddenly realised – oh my God, my family aren’t going to see me again, these people might kill me, you know?” she added, noting the laughter of the women present and her own fear.
Bryant, wiping her tears, expressed how the entire ordeal ‘changed [her]’ and she feared for her life during that time.
After being named in the documents alongside other victims, Bryant and others released a joint statement criticizing the DOJ for exposing survivors.
The statement, as reported by The Guardian, said: “This latest release of Jeffrey Epstein files is being sold as transparency, but what it actually does is expose survivors. Once again, survivors are having their names and identifying information exposed, while the men who abused us remain hidden and protected. That is outrageous. As survivors, we should never be the ones named, scrutinized, and retraumatized while Epstein’s enablers continue to benefit from secrecy. This is a betrayal of the very people this process is supposed to serve.”
The statement was endorsed by Bryant, Annie Farmer, Anouska de Georgiou, Ashley Rubright, AW, Danielle Bensky, Jane Doe, Jane Doe, JD, Jess Michaels, Lara Blume McGee, Liz Stein, Marijke Chartouni, Marina Lacerda, Rachel Benavidez, Sky & Amanda Roberts (the brother and sister-in-law of Virginia Giuffre), Sharlene Rochard, Teresa J Helm, and Wendy Pesante.
If you are affected by the issues discussed in this article, you can reach out to The National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800.656.HOPE (4673), which is available 24/7, or chat online at online.rainn.org.