Who was Jeffrey Epstein?
He was accused of sex trafficking at least 36 girls
His famous and powerful associates who may have had involvement with the trafficking include (source # 1):
Prince Andrew (survivor Virginia Giuffre says she was abused by the Duke of York)
Donald Trump
Bill Clinton
Ghislaine Maxwell
He died by hanging after being taken off suicide watch while in prison (source # 2)
Who is Ghislaine Maxwell?
Her family was very wealthy and had substantial political and social influence
She was recently charged with 6 counts of crimes related to trafficking was was found guilty for 5 of the 6 (source #3)
sex trafficking a minor
enticing a minor to travel to engage in sexual activity (verdict: not guilty)
transporting a minor: a 14-year-old claims Maxwell assisted Epstein in abusing her
conspiracy (3 counts): these charges refer to Maxwell’s willingness to assist with the abuse in various ways; “conspiracy” means Maxwell need not have actually done the abusive actions themselves to be found guilty
Maxwell is currently seeking a new trial because it has come to light that one of the jurors is a survivor of sexual abuse (source #4)
Broader implications of this current event
(1)
Should survivors deliberately be included because these are individuals who know best the impact these traffickers had?
Does this experience with trafficking bring too much bias into the decision?
What are the implications of punishing jurors for using their firsthand knowledge on a topic when making decisions?
(2)
How important is it to punish traffickers as harshly as the law allows?
Should more attention be focused on preventing trafficking?
(3)
Will this case encourage those who have been trafficked by highly powerful individuals/organizations to share their experiences?
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