In a harrowing and dignified appeal, survivors of Jeffrey Epstein have released a one-minute video declaring, 'There are about 1,000 of us', a chilling testament to the scale of the trauma they say has remained buried in darkness. Their plea is for Congress to force the declassification of all files relating to Epstein's network and crimes.
A Desperate Call for Transparency
The public service announcement (PSA), produced by the advocacy group World Without Exploitation, was released in the run-up to a critical House of Representatives vote that could compel the Department of Justice to make Epstein-era documents public.
In the video, several women hold up photographs of themselves as teenagers, aged 14, 16, and 17, when they allege they first encountered Epstein. One survivor, her voice breaking, says, 'I've suffered so much pain'. Another quietly declares, 'There are about 1,000 of us'.
The repetition of their younger selves' images underscores the long shadow of abuse. As one survivor pieces together, 'It's time to bring the secrets out of the shadows, it's time to shine a light into the darkness'.
Bipartisan Pressure Mounts in Congress
Survivors' voices have resonated in Washington. In early September, a number of them spoke publicly, some for the first time, on the steps of the US Capitol alongside bipartisan lawmakers.
At the centre of the campaign is the Epstein Files Transparency Act, introduced in July 2025 by Representative Ro Khanna (D-CA). The legislation, backed by a rare coalition of Republicans and Democrats, would require the Justice Department to declassify all Epstein-related files.
Representative Thomas Massie (R-KY) has pursued a discharge petition to force a House vote on the matter. But the path is fraught. While the House Oversight Committee has released more than 33,000 pages of Epstein-era documents, critics say most are already publicly available and fall short of full transparency.
Survivors and allies argue the released documents are curated, insufficient, and do not offer meaningful insight into systemic failures that allowed Epstein's network to flourish.
Annie Farmer, a survivor who testified in the Ghislaine Maxwell trial, is among those featured in the PSA. She insists the issue is not partisan. 'Please remember that these are crimes that were committed against real humans, real individuals. This is not a political issue.'
Danielle Bensky, another survivor featured in the PSA, told NBC News that while they carry their own trauma, they also 'stand for so many victims of sexual assault and of domestic violence as well'.
Lauren Hersh, national director of World Without Exploitation, emphasised that survivors see this vote as a moment to hold power to account. Hersh said they want the public to understand how 'gaps in the system allowed a predator to operate for years and ... what must change to prevent that from happening again'.
Opposition and the Weight of History
US President Donald Trump, once a vocal advocate for Epstein file disclosure, has now cast the push for release as 'a Democrat-led smear campaign'. He has suggested the drive for transparency is politically motivated, even as former allies in Congress break ranks.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) has publicly aligned herself with the survivors, releasing a letter of support signed by more than two dozens of them. She defended her stance, pledging to continue 'standing up against the intimidation, silencing and abuse that Epstein survivors have endured for decades'.
The statement 'There are about 1,000 of us' is more than a statistic — it's a declaration of scale, a moral demand. These are individuals whose voices have too often been suppressed, ignored, or sidelined. Now, through the PSA and political action, they are calling for more than sympathy. They demand structural change.
After five US administrations and decades of secrecy, the survivors' message is clear, they will no longer remain in the dark. Their hope is simple but profound; that the full truth is exposed, and that the institutions meant to protect them do not fail the next generation.
