MEDIA RELEASE: Executive Director’s Response to Epstein Survivors Raising their Voices

Asheville, NC – September 9, 2025 —Last week we witnessed awe inspiring courage as the survivors of Jeffrey Epstein’s trafficking ring took to our nation’s Capital steps and shared their experiences, while also demanding that the criminal justice system release the files of their cases. The files that contain information about the worst moments of their lives, typed interview transcripts that trauma has blurred from their memories, and the culmination of a case that has never been brought to justice in its entirety, in a court of law. We heard survivors talk about why they want the records: to help them process the blank spaces in their memory that trauma has left, to finally feel validated in the unspeakable horror that they experienced, and to bring justice, to some degree, at last.

 

At Our Voice we remain committed to survivors being in the driver seat after they experience sexual violence and human trafficking, both of which are driven by a perpetrator’s desire for power and control over a survivor. We know the most vital thing for justice after violence is that the survivor gets to decide what happens next, and we are hearing with a clear voice what justice is for these survivors: release the files. I am so grateful for the representatives that stood on those steps with the survivors in solidarity, telling them what every survivor needs to hear, “I believe you, and you are not alone.”

 

In our own community survivors deserve the same. Every survivor deserves to be heard, to decide what feels like repair and justice for them; regardless of who their perpetrators are and how much power and wealth they have. There are survivors in our community that have never spoken about the harm they lived through because they don’t trust that they will be believed. We as a community can decide to truly stand with our neighbors who have been harmed and broader by believing survivors when they tell us that they have experienced violence, by letting them know we believe them, and by demanding that our justice systems listen to survivors. For any survivors who are impacted by the media attention on the Epstein case, we are here for you. Whether you report, or don’t. Whether the person who harmed you is powerful, or poor. Whether you weren’t believed when you first told someone or you are well supported. We believe you. We stand with you. If you need support, we are just a phone call away: (828) 255-7576. 

 

In a time of amplified power-based violence, supporting survivors is not just a gesture of compassion. It is a stand for justice. It is an act of resistance. It is a way to build a future where the truth is not buried but honored, and where healing is always possible.