In the Senate’s 51-49 vote last Wednesday, senators tabled an amendment that would have forced the release of the so-called Epstein Files.
The files are said to contain interview transcripts, details about raids and more, including names of convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein’s associates.
Of great public interest is whether President Trump, or one of his associates, is named in the files and whether we are seeing a cover up from the White House.
That may well be. But our interest is in the survivors, six of whom traveled to D.C. recently to bravely share their stories and demand a release of the files. We stand with them.
To date, the government’s response to the Epstein survivors has been one of massive institutional betrayal.
Institutional betrayal refers to wrongdoings perpetrated by an institution upon those dependent upon it, including failure to prevent or respond supportively to wrongdoings such as sexual assault committed by individuals within the institution.
It can be overt, such as when officials separate children from their parents.
It can also be less obvious, such as a failure to protect you when you reasonably expect to be protected, as when an employee reports sexual harassment but continues to be victimized after their employer fails to take action. This also includes covering up wrongdoing and retaliation against whistleblowers.
Research from one of our organizations shows that institutional betrayal is related to measurable harm, both psychological and physical.
The Epstein survivors — and all of us — need institutional courage from our government.
Institutional courage is a commitment to seek the truth and engage in moral action, despite unpleasantness, risk and short-term cost. It is a pledge to protect and care for those who depend on the institution, as we all do in the case of the U.S. government.
Institutional courage requires accountability, transparency, making reparations where needed and a commitment to being responsive to its members.
Steps include acknowledgement, apology and transparency. Responses to disclosures of wrongdoing or violence, such as sexual harassment, must be treated with respect and action rather than reflexive denial and retaliation.
Research coauthored by one of us shows that institutional courage buffers against the harms of both sexual violations and institutional betrayal.
Some Republicans have joined Democrats in pushing for the release of the Epstein Files, while most Republicans in Congress continue to ally themselves with the president.
The likelihood that Trump and other powerful individuals are named in the files in some capacity is strong, despite denials.
Trump was already found responsible for sexual abuse and defamation against E. Jean Carroll, and a federal appeals court recently upheld the $83 million judgment against him.
He has also suggested that domestic violence is not a crime, undermining acts of violence against women.
As Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) a member of the House Oversight Committee, stated after meeting with Epstein survivors, “the entire public needs to understand just how systemic and how far and wide and how deep this institutional betrayal goes.”
We cannot speak for the Epstein survivors, nor do we assume knowledge of what each one needs.
But as gender-based violence researchers with decades of experience working with survivors and analyzing abusive systems, we know these truths: When survivors are listened to and treated with respect, and when abusers are named and held accountable, healing and justice are possible.
We also know that when survivors are not respected, and are castigated for sharing their truths, their healing is delayed, and further harm is perpetrated.
What happened to Christine Blasey Ford, who testified to the Senate Judiciary Committee that Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her in high school, is a case in point.
Ford, whose testimony took place in 2018, said afterward she and her family had to hide in hotels and other locations with 24-hour security due to death threats. By 2024, she still needed security.
How about we do both these things: Respect the survivors and release the entirety of the Epstein files.
The survivors deserve to know who was complicit in their suffering, so that they may seek accountability and heal.
And the American public deserves to know who among our political leaders associated and possibly conspired with Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell — who was convicted for her role in Epstein’s scheme in 2021 — to sexually abuse children.
Supporting survivors of rape and abuse should not be a partisan effort. Yet sadly, many Republicans in Congress have so far preferred to show their loyalty to Trump over doing the right thing. That institutional betrayal must be replaced with institutional courage.
Jennifer J. Freyd, Ph.D. is professor emeritus of Psychology, University of Oregon, and founder and president of the Center for Institutional Courage. Monica J. Casper, Ph.D., is professor of Sociology at Seattle University and former special assistant to the president on gender-based violence at San Diego State University.
