Apex nonprofit calls for support of Epstein victims, stronger action against offenders

APEX, N.C. (WNCN) — An anti-human trafficking nonprofit in Apex is calling for support of victims and stronger action against offenders amid continued attention towards Jeffrey Epstein.

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Shield North Carolina issued a statement on Wednesday to reaffirm support for trafficking and sexual exploitation survivors and seek accountability for perpetrators and buyers.

The statement comes after more than 3 million pages of the Epstein files were released by the United States Department of Justice in January, which offer insight into the activities of Epstein, a financier who was charged with sex trafficking when he died in custody in 2019. His death was ruled a suicide.

Shield North Carolina stated the case “reflects a broader pattern in which offenders
avoid consequences while survivors are traumatized, silenced, and ignored”.

In its statement, the nonprofit said, “The Epstein network could have been stopped in 2008, but a secret non‑prosecution agreement protected him and his unnamed co‑conspirators instead of the children they harmed. That failure set the stage for years of continued abuse and for the impunity we are still witnessing today.”

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The nonprofit noted that trafficking cannot exist without demand, and inaction allows traffickers to continue their criminal activity.

“When [survivors] see other survivors being ignored and rapists protected, they receive a clear message: coming forward is dangerous, pointless, or both,” the statement reads. “This fear of indifference is one of the primary tools traffickers use to keep victims compliant, silent, and hopeless.

“Even now, as names resurface and evidence mounts, we are told this situation is a hoax, a waste of time, and that pursuing justice for victims is somehow unreasonable. But accountability delayed is accountability denied.”

Shield North Carolina is requesting the public to take the following actions:

• Bring attention to whenever the youth is sexualized
• Encourage law enforcement in the state to charge sex buyers under the felony solicitation law and perform reverse stings to prevent would-be offenders from causing harm
• Contact federal legislators and push for legal consequences against individuals who exploited and abused children
• Support anti-trafficking organizations that help make accountability possible

“Today, we at Shield North Carolina are speaking with a unified voice regarding the Jeffrey Epstein case and the systemic issues it exposes,” Shield North Carolina Executive Director Niki Miller said in a statement. “As an organization committed to ending exploitation, we cannot remain quiet at this moment.”

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