One survivor of Jeffrey Epstein’s abuse has made a public appeal to authorities following the Department of Justice’s failure to redact her name from several files that were released recently.
The victim, who is generally referred to as Jane Doe to maintain her anonymity, expressed to CNN her shock upon discovering that her actual name was unredacted in some of the numerous documents that Congress required the DOJ to release.
Despite this, many other documents remain heavily redacted, with officials claiming the redactions are meant to protect victims. However, it seems this process may have been flawed, as individuals have managed to bypass the redactions.
Jane Doe reported requesting that officials remove her name from the public files over the weekend, yet CNN noted that no adjustments had been made to safeguard her identity. This situation compelled her to make a heartfelt appeal to the DOJ on behalf of all abuse survivors, stating that their oversight “haunts me to my core.”
She elaborated in her plea: “The reason I feel so passionate is it’s not just about me and what happened. I fear for the little girl who’s calling the FBI right now and asking for help.
“I am so afraid for her, because if I have to do all of this right now… I have no words. I just have no words. It hurts my heart. It haunts me to my core.”
Doe recounted witnessing and suffering abuse by the hands of Epstein in 2009, following his guilty plea in Florida to soliciting prostitution from a minor. Despite her disclosures to the FBI, no actions seemed to follow, and her attempts to access her file over the years were unsuccessful.
With the files now available to the public, Doe joined over a dozen survivors in criticizing the DOJ for how the files were managed and for failing to protect their identities.
The survivors have also questioned the rationale behind the ‘abnormal and extreme redactions with no explanation’, noting that some of their names were visible. They argued that this oversight was ‘causing real and immediate harm.’
Marina Lacerda, another victim of Epstein who has chosen to speak publicly, shared with the BBC her straightforward demand for the DOJ: “It is very simple, redact our names and un-redact the powerful, the elite, men who are out there and are continuing to do these horrible things to women.”
Echoing Jane Doe’s sentiments, Lacerda also made an urgent plea: “They have done it to us and they will continue to do so. Please look at us as your children.”
The issue is compounded for both survivors and officials trying to obscure identifying details in the files, as some individuals have figured out how to circumvent the redactions.
Un-redacted sections of the documents have led to further questions about why certain information was withheld.
Investigators who managed to bypass redactions in the case settled by Epstein’s estate with the Virgin Islands revealed more about how the financier eluded legal repercussions for an extended period.
One document that was not fully redacted stated: “Epstein also threatened harm to victims and helped release damaging stories about them to damage their credibility when they tried to go public with their stories of being trafficked and sexually abused.
“Epstein also instructed one or more Epstein Enterprise participant-witnesses to destroy evidence relevant to ongoing court proceedings involving Defendants’ criminal sex trafficking and abuse conduct.”