As a survivor of sexual violence, watching the Epstein scandal unfold hits me hard. It’s infuriating. It’s familiar. And it’s exhausting. Once again, we’re seeing powerful men rally around a predator, shielding each other while victims remain sidelined. The focus has strayed far from those who were truly harmed. Conversations revolve around what this means for Trump, Mandelson, or Prince Andrew, but not about the countless women and girls who were trafficked and abused. Their voices deserve to be the centre of this narrative, not just footnotes in a drama where powerful men dictate the story.
Melinda French Gates nailed it when she said these men need to answer for themselves. Yet, instead of accountability, we see efforts to control the narrative, with reputations being salvaged and careers preserved. It’s a masterclass in deflection. Steve Bannon, once brainstorming PR strategies with Epstein, now slams him, proving that desperate attempts to redirect focus are not new.
Where are the conversations about justice for the real victims? Where is the reckoning with systems that allowed these atrocities? Every day spent scrutinising political impacts is another day confirming the abusers were right—something will always eclipse the victims’ stories.
I’m tired of this cycle. It’s time we centre the narrative on victims, believe them, and prioritise their justice over the legacies of those complicit in their abuse. Until this happens, we’re stuck in the same grim loop where powerful men evade real accountability, and survivors remain on the sidelines.
The next scandal will just be another iteration of the same story unless we change how we tell it. Let’s bring those who were harmed to the forefront where they belong. It’s time to put the focus where it should have been from the start: on the voices that matter most.