When millions of files connected to Jeffrey Epstein were released to the public, many Americans hoped the truth would finally come out. Instead, what emerged was not only transparency, but another devastating failure: the accidental exposure of victims’ names and identities.
What should have been a step toward justice instead became a painful reminder of how institutions continue to fail the very people they claim to protect.
The Department of Justice released millions of Epstein-related documents under pressure to increase transparency. But in doing so, they made critical mistakes. According to Channel 10 News, police reports containing “nude photos. The names and faces of sexual abuse victims. Bank account and Social Security numbers in full view. All of these things appeared in the mountain of documents released Friday by the U.S. Justice Department as part of its effort to comply with a law requiring it to open its investigative files on Jeffrey Epstein.””
This was not a minor oversight. These were real people — many of whom had never spoken publicly — suddenly exposed to the entire world without their consent.
For survivors, anonymity is often essential to healing. Many choose to remain private because of fear, trauma and the stigma that comes with sexual abuse. Yet the government failed to uphold even this basic protection. According to Security Magazine, thousands of records had to be removed after victim information was mistakenly revealed. The damage, however, was already done. Once names and identifying details are released online, they cannot truly be taken back.
Justice is supposed to protect victims, not retraumatize them.
The Justice Department has claimed it intended to protect victim privacy. According to Cape and Islands News, officials admitted that victims were “unintentionally identified due to redaction errors,” and some names appeared in ways that made identification easy. This raises serious questions about competence and accountability. If the government knew these documents contained sensitive information, how could such obvious mistakes happen?
Beyond the technical failures, this situation highlights a deeper problem: society continues to prioritize public curiosity over survivor protection. People are eager to know which powerful figures were connected to Epstein, but far less attention is paid to protecting the victims. According to Reuters, more than 1,200 victims have been identified in Epstein-related investigations, and survivors have expressed feeling “retraumatized and gaslit by institutions.” These survivors have already endured unimaginable trauma. They should not also have to endure public exposure because of bureaucratic negligence.
Transparency is important, but it must be done responsibly. There is a difference between exposing wrongdoing and exposing victims. The public deserves to know who enabled Epstein’s crimes. However, victims deserve privacy, dignity and respect. Releasing their names without proper redaction does nothing to hold abusers accountable. It only harms those who were already harmed once before.
This failure also damages public trust. If the government cannot even protect the identities of sexual abuse survivors, how can victims trust the system enough to come forward? Survivors may now fear reporting abuse, worried their names could someday be exposed as part of a public record. That fear could silence victims and allow abuse to continue unchecked.
Ultimately, the release of Epstein’s files was supposed to represent progress. Instead, it exposed another injustice. Survivors were promised protection, but they were given exposure. They were promised accountability, but they were given carelessness.
Justice is not just about revealing the truth. It is about protecting those who suffered while pursuing it. In the Epstein case, that responsibility was clearly ignored. And for the victims whose names were leaked, the harm did not end with Epstein — it continues today.
AJ Pearman can be reached at [email protected].