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Release of information about powerful cadre of men associated with convicted sex offenders and accused sex traffickers Jeffrey Epstein – known as the Epstein files – has been a long time coming.
Under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which President donald trump Signed into law in November 2025 Justice Department Its documents related to Epstein have to be released by December 19, 2025.
But information has been coming out for months, including more than 20,000 of Epstein’s emails released by members of Congress in November.
In the fire of reactions that followed, conservative media figures came forward megyn kelly Made comments that reduced the harassment of teenagers.
In response to their comments, a new hashtag, #iwasfifteen, went viral, as celebrities and others took to social media to share photos of themselves as teenagers.
I am a clinical psychologist who studies intimate violence – From Child abuse For domestic violence and sexual harassment. After more than two decades in this field, I’m not surprised to hear someone decriminalize teen abuse. My research and the work of others researcher This has been done across the country victim People who disclose abuse often face disbelief and blame.
What surprised me was how the viral #iwasfifteen hashtag shed light on the dynamics of abuse, pointing to the vulnerabilities that traffickers exploit and the harm they cause.
Abusive tactics in sex trafficking of minors
Contrary to the stereotype of kidnapping teens from parking lots, those who traffic minors use a variety of tactics and form relationships with the preteens and teens they are targeting. Part of what traps youth is their trust and dependence on traffickers.
An in-depth analysis in 2014 showed these strategies were working. Researchers looked at more than 40 social service case files of minor victims of trafficking and interviewed social service workers.
Researchers found that it is common for traffickers to use flattery or romance to ensnare teenagers. Some people built the confidence of teenagers by helping them out of difficult situations. Meanwhile, traffickers normalized sex and prostitution as they isolated their victims from their friends and family – all of which mirrors the aesthetic described by the victims of Epstein and his partner Ghislaine Maxwell.
The research also showed that traffickers exercised tight control over teenagers, using economic and emotional manipulation. They took their money, blackmailed and embarrassed them, and threatened them with harm if they left. Like the Epstein case, many traffickers forced victims to participate in trafficking, such as recruiting their friends.
Other studies at the national level also show similar manipulations. A 2019 study found that in more than 1,400 cases, a third of traffickers used threats and psychological pressure to control victims.
Another research team looked at 23 studies of minor victims of sex trafficking in the United States and Canada. They found that youth, mostly girls, were trapped by traffickers who pretended to love or care for them, only to manipulate and abuse them.
The tactics identified by researchers and reports of how Epstein trapped victims on his island show that the tactics used by traffickers all have one thing in common: They create further dependence of the victim on the trafficker.
Dependence and Betrayal
Adolescence is a time of rapid change – change that traffickers take advantage of. From adolescence through adolescence, youth are forming their identities and learning about romantic relationships, while their brains are still developing.
In this era of rapid change, they are beginning to differentiate and seek autonomy. Yet they remain dependent on the adults in their lives for everything from their psychological needs, such as love, to basic physical needs, such as food and shelter.
When victims of trafficking become dependent – economically, psychologically or physically – on the same person who exploits them, this is the trauma of betrayal. In these scenarios, victims are dependent on the abuser, so they cannot leave the situation easily. Instead, they have to adapt psychologically.
One way to adapt is to reduce awareness of the abuse – or what psychologists call betrayal blindness. In the short term, reducing awareness of the abuse helps the victim tolerate the abuse. It can be the difference between life and death for a victim whose abuser could harm them if they try to leave or report the abuse – or for the teen who has nowhere else to go for basic survival.
However, in the long term, betrayal trauma is associated with many losses that can affect how victims view themselves and the world around them. Compared to other types of trauma, betrayal trauma is associated with more serious psychological and physical health problems.
The trauma of betrayal often leads to shame, self-blame, and fear and can cause survivors to isolate from others and not trust them. Survivors may also be less likely to disclose abuse to someone they trust. They may also have difficulty remembering what happened to them, which can lead to increased self-doubt and self-blame.
Understanding the far-reaching effects of betrayal trauma can be difficult for survivors—and for others who hear their stories later.
Myths and public opinion about victims
When sex traffickers target minors, they use strategies that give others reason to suspect the victims. Most people are regularly exposed to misinformation about sexual violence and trafficking through popular media, and this misinformation works in favor of perpetrators.
Researchers began documenting myths about intimate violence decades ago. Since then, research shows that inaccurate views of rape, child abuse and sex trafficking persist in the media – with consequences for victims.
These myths and misconceptions often creep into the conversation without being noticed, such as when even well-intentioned reporting refers to girls trafficked by Epstein as “underage women.” But calling teens and tweens “females” minimizes the age difference between offenders. It also hides the insecurities of children and adolescents who were victimized by adults.
About the author
Anne P. DePrince is a professor of psychology at the University of Denver. This article is republished from Conversation Under Creative Commons license. read the original article,
Myths may include beliefs that intimate violence is rare and always physically violent, and that all victims react in the same way. The myths also tend to minimize the role of the perpetrators, while blaming the victims for what was done to them, especially if the victims had mental health problems or used substances.
change conversation
As with so many myths, #iwasfifteen showed a way to change the general conversation from blaming the victims to highlighting the ways in which abusers exploit teens and pre-teens. Dispelling myths about sex trafficking with research is important to place responsibility on those who traffick and abuse youth.
Research shows that the more people believe myths, the more likely they are to blame victims or not believe them in the first place, including sex trafficking.
And it is not that only the ignorant public falls prey to this misinformation. When victims do not conform to common myths, even law enforcement officers, who are trained to investigate intimate violence, are less likely to believe them.
In this way, the psychological consequences of betrayal trauma – ranging from internalizing abuse to psychological distress – can lead to myths being held in people’s minds about intimate violence. Suddenly, it becomes easy for friends, family, juries, and others to blame victims or not believe them at all.
And, of course, this is what criminals often say to their victims: No one will believe you. It is not surprising, then, that it may take years for victims to come forward, if ever.