About 15 years ago, I began working in human trafficking prevention, something I was drawn to after years of walking alongside people experiencing homelessness, addiction and poverty. What I quickly learned was this: those living on the margins are the most vulnerable to exploitation.
Back then, many, including myself, believed human trafficking looked like abduction or “stranger danger.” But the reality is far more insidious. Most trafficking is perpetrated by someone the victim knows.
So when the Epstein case came to light, those of us in the field weren’t shocked. We recognized the dynamics immediately: wealth, power, manipulation and silence used to exploit the vulnerable, especially young girls.
While most traffickers are men, women also recruit and abuse. These women often start as “trusted adults,” luring victims with promises of hope. Ghislaine Maxwell was one of these women. She posed as a savior but delivered countless girls into the hands of her partner, participating in their abuse and showing no remorse.
One of her victims, Virginia Giuffre, said it best:
“You spotted me at the Mar-a-Lago Hotel in Florida, and you made a choice… You and he abused me together for the first time. Together, you did unthinkable things that still have a corrosive impact on me to this day.”
Maxwell lied under oath. She is not a trustworthy source. And yet, reports now say she was moved to a lower-security prison after a meeting with a high-profile political figure, one who used to serve as the personal lawyer to the sitting U.S. president. These actions are not normal. They are unprecedented.
We should all be asking: Where are the voices of the survivors? Why aren’t their stories in the headlines?
In human trafficking prevention, we’ve learned the most powerful and honest voices are those of survivors. They should be centered in every conversation, not pushed aside while predators try to rewrite history.
Let me be clear:
There should be no commendation, no pardon, and no political theater.
Only truth.
Only justice.
Only accountability.
And it should be spoken loudly, publicly and directly to the survivors.
Terry Palmer, Midvale
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