Epstein, the Headlines, and the Children We Ignore | Kathryn Robb | Verdict

As the latest wave of headlines about the Jeffrey Epstein list surges through the news cycle, and the public feasts on their fascination with the juicy story of the powerful and rich hobnobbing with a mega rich sex offender, and the potential coverup by the many implicated, one might hope that we are focusing on the victims of these crimes. But we are not.

Or that we are finally reckoning with institutional child sexual abuse. But we’re not. Not even close. The focus remains on rich, powerful men—Bill Clinton, Donald Trump, Prince Andrew, and political retribution—not the hundreds girls who were sexual abused and trafficked through this secret criminal enterprise.

We’re chasing a political spectacle, not substance. Again. The girls that were made available to the men on this list go largely unmentioned in story after story.

The headlines tell the story in the story. “DOJ Says There Is No Epstein Client List.” “Loomer Warns Epstein Could ‘Consume’ Trump Presidency.” “A Perfect Recipe for Conspiracy Theories.” Political factions are trading outrage over redacted documents, missing minutes, secret names, and who knew what, when. And yes—transparency matters. The public has a right to know which powerful people were involved, who enabled abuse, who committed crimes, who turned a blind eye. This is not about a dead man’s case, it’s about the abuse of minor children, euphemistically referred to as “women on the younger side.”

But once again, we’re having the wrong conversation.

Because the real crisis isn’t buried in Epstein’s black book, a flight log, or some list. It’s in plain sight. The deeper, more pressing emergency is one we’ve been refusing to face for decades: the widespread, systemic epidemic of child sexual abuse in America.

This is not a story about a single predator. It is not a tale of outlier institutions or isolated incidents. What Epstein represents—what the Catholic Church, the Boy Scouts of America, Jerry Sandusky, USA Gymnastics, Kanakuk Kamps, and Ohio State represents—is a pattern. A culture. A structure of institutional complicity that allows abuse to persist while shielding perpetrators and silencing victims.

Child sex abuse scandals have common themes: adults in positions of power and trust, enabled by institutions that prioritized reputation, money, and power over the protection of children. The Catholic Church shielded abusive priests, moving them to unsuspecting communities. The Boy Scouts buried allegations for decades. As the recent HBO Max documentary “Surviving Ohio State” details, Ohio State, under the watch of people like Rep. Jim Jordan, ignored years of complaints. USA Gymnastics and the U.S. Olympic Committee turned a blind eye to Larry Nassar’s abuse. At Kanakuk Kamps, a Christian institution trusted by families in Texas and Missouri, whistleblowers and survivors were ignored for years while the abuse continued. Yet, despite this staggering pattern of institutional failure, politicians rarely advance systemic legal reform or long-term prevention strategies.

And through it all, our political leaders largely watch from the sidelines. Pizzagate, QAnon and other conspiracy theories seem irrational and even humorous. Laughing it off is tempting. The use of uncertainty and fear to influence the public is nothing new. But the distraction comes with risks.

There is no shortage of guarded public comments, vague declarations on transparency, and finger pointing. Duck and cover tactics abound; House Speaker Mike Johnson ending the session early is the classic avoidance of the issue strategy, while DOJ flips on the existence of a list. But when it comes to actual legislative reform for children and victims—abolishing archaic statutes of limitations, funding trauma-informed prevention and training, mandating accountability for institutions that fail children—progress grinds to a halt.

Meanwhile, children are in danger, and survivors are forced to wait.

They wait while lobbyists whisper in lawmakers’ ears about insurance liabilities.They wait while their abusers retire comfortably.They wait while lawsuits are delayed, dismissed, or denied.

They wait while bad-acting institutions sprint to the bankruptcy courts for cover.

Make no mistake: this is not a niche problem. It’s a public health emergency. According to the Center for Violence Prevention Research and the CDC, about one in four girls and one in thirteen boys will experience sexual abuse before they turn 18.* That’s not a trivial statistic. That’s an epidemic.

The consequences of child sexual abuse extend far beyond the individual victim. Survivors face increased risks of PTSD, depression, suicide, addiction, incarceration, chronic illness, and employment instability. The economic costs to taxpayers are staggering, billions annually in lost productivity, health care, and social services. And the human toll? Immeasurable.

Yet, because the subject is uncomfortable—and because the solutions threaten powerful people, institutions, and insurers—child sexual abuse remains a political orphan. It crosses party lines, but it is rarely taken up by legislative leaders in a meaningful and sustained way.

Parental rights have become a heated topic in American politics, especially as to education and medical decisions. But what about the right to expect that their child will be safe in the care of adults—at school, at camp, at church, in the doctor’s office?

Until our political leaders prioritize that right, everything else is just noise.

So let’s name what must happen now—if we are serious about protecting children, not just scoring political points.

End civil and criminal statutes of limitations for child sexual abuse in every state—and open revival windows for past claims.
Ban non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) in child sexual abuse cases. Truth should not be sealed for a settlement.
Mandate transparency and oversight in all youth-serving institutions—schools, camps, churches, clubs, sports. No more self-policing.
Eliminate charitable immunity. Nonprofits should not have immunity from accountability when they fail to protect children.
Reform Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code so institutions can’t use bankruptcy to dodge responsibility and conceal predators.
Fund prevention at scale—trauma-informed training, accessible survivor services, and education for all adults working with youth.
Establish a national task force on child sexual abuse, with real power to set standards and coordinate action across states.

These are not radical proposals. They are overdue, necessary, and long demanded by survivors, experts, and advocates.

So as the Epstein headlines continue to churn—if we truly care about justice, if we truly want transparency, if we’re truly disturbed by the abuse of power and the harm to children—then let’s finally turn that attention into action.

Let’s stop pretending that child sexual abuse is someone else’s crisis. It is all of ours. It is not limited to private islands and billionaires. It happens in classrooms, locker rooms, church basements, and youth retreats. It happens in rich communities and poor ones, in white families and families of color, in red states and blue. It is everywhere; everywhere children are.

And unless we treat it like the national emergency it is, unless we stop the political posturing over the Epstein list and pass real reform, we are complicit in the harm to our children and in the dangerous silence that follows—in dodged questions, vague answers, empty hearing rooms and sealed records.

*The Center for Violence Prevention Research has compiled the following data/research:

Finkelhor, D., Shattuck, A., Turner, H. A., & Hamby, S. L. (2014). The lifetime prevalence of child sexual abuse and sexual assault assessed in late adolescence. Journal of adolescent Health, 55(3), 329-333.

Jones, L. M., Finkelhor, D., & Kopiec, K. (2001). Why is sexual abuse declining? A survey of state child protection administrators. Child Abuse & Neglect, 25(9), 1139-1158.

Mathews, B., Pacella, R., Scott, J. G., Finkelhor, D., Meinck, F., Higgins, D. J., … & Dunne, M. P. (2023). The prevalence of child maltreatment in Australia: findings from a national survey. Medical journal of Australia, 218, S13-S18.

Finkelhor, D., Turner, H., & Colburn, D. (2024). The prevalence of child sexual abuse with online sexual abuse added. Child Abuse & Neglect, 149, 106634.

Gewirtz-Meydan, A., & Finkelhor, D. (2020). Sexual abuse and assault in a large national sample of children and adolescents. Child maltreatment, 25(2), 203-214.

Dube, S. R., Anda, R. F., Whitfield, C. L., Brown, D. W., Felitti, V. J., Dong, M., & Giles, W. H. (2005). Long-term consequences of childhood sexual abuse by gender of victim. American journal of preventive medicine, 28(5), 430-438.

Finkelhor, D., Turner, H. A., Shattuck, A., & Hamby, S. L. (2015). Prevalence of childhood exposure to violence, crime, and abuse: Results from the national survey of children’s exposure to violence. JAMA pediatrics, 169(8), 746-754.

Pérez-Fuentes, G., Olfson, M., Villegas, L., Morcillo, C., Wang, S., & Blanco, C. (2013). Prevalence and correlates of child sexual abuse: a national study. Comprehensive psychiatry, 54(1), 16-27.

Pereda, N., Guilera, G., Forns, M., & Gómez-Benito, J. (2009). The prevalence of child sexual abuse in community and student samples: A meta-analysis. Clinical psychology review, 29(4), 328-338.

Rezey, M. L., & DiMeglio, M. (2024). What is known about the magnitude, trend, and risk for child sexual abuse and the commercial sexual exploitation of children in the United States? Journal of Child Sexual Abuse, 1–23.

Tapp, S. N., & Coen, E. J. (2024). Criminal Victimization, 2023 (Bulletin, Issue NCJ 309335). Bureau of Justice Statistics. https://bjs.ojp.gov/document/cv23.pdf

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Administration on Children, Youth and Families, Children’s Bureau. (2024). Child Maltreatment 2022. Available at https://www.acf.hhs.gov/cb/data-research/child-maltreatment.

Finkelhor, D., Saito, K., & Jones, L. (2023). Updated trends in child maltreatment, 2021. University of New Hampshire. Retrieved from: https://www.unh.edu/ccrc/sites/default/files/media/2023-03/updated-trends-2021_current-final.pdf.

Tapp SN & Coen EJ. (2024). Criminal Victimization, 2023. Available at https://bjs.ojp.gov/library/publications/criminal-victimization-2023.

Jones, L. M., Finkelhor, D., & Kopiec, K. (2001). Why is sexual abuse declining? A survey of state child protection administrators. Child Abuse & Neglect, 25(9), 1139-1158.

Rezey, M. L., & DiMeglio, M. (2024). What is known about the magnitude, trend, and risk for child sexual abuse and the commercial sexual exploitation of children in the United States?. Journal of child sexual abuse, 1-23.

Lauritsen, J. L., & Rezey, M. L. (2018). Victimization trends and correlates: Macro-and microinfluences and new directions for research. Annual Review of Criminology, 1(1), 103-121.

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Administration on Children, Youth and Families, Children’s Bureau. (2018). Child Maltreatment 2016. Available at https://www.acf.hhs.gov/cb/data-research/child-maltreatment.