"Epstein's story is not really about one man's depravity. It is about a system legal, cultural, and institutional engineered to protect the powerful through silence. His crimes thrived not because they were hidden, but because the people who knew were coerced, encouraged, or more than willing to shut up. Silence was not incidental to Epstein's success. It was central to it. And in this, he was hardly unique."
"The most revealing document in the entire Epstein saga is one of the first to come to light: the non-prosecution agreement the Department of Justice quietly signed in 2007, shielding Epstein from federal charges and insulating unnamed co-conspirators. The girls he had abused minors the government was legally obligated to inform were kept in the dark. The message was unmistakable: protecting powerful men mattered more than honoring the voices of the girls they harmed."
"Even now, after Congress forced President Trump's hand to mandate the release of the Epstein files, the Department of Justice has not committed to full disclosure. After everything we have learned in the nearly two decades since Epstein pleaded guilty to sex with a minor, the culture of silence is so powerful that it is unclear when, or even if, his survivors will ever truly receive justice."
Jeffrey Epstein's case reveals systemic mechanisms that protected powerful perpetrators through enforced silence. Legal, cultural, and institutional structures enabled concealment and coercion, making silence central to the abuse. A 2007 non-prosecution agreement by the Department of Justice shielded Epstein from federal charges and insulated unnamed co-conspirators, while victims were not informed. Even after congressional intervention to release files, the Department of Justice has not committed to full disclosure. The pattern extends beyond one case: corporations use non-disclosure agreements and forced arbitration to muzzle survivors and shield executives, and organizations often prioritize containment over accountability, denying transparency and justice.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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