Burak Bir
16 April 2026•Update: 16 April 2026
UN experts demanded accountability Thursday for trafficking allegations in the documents related to late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, warning of continuing violence of "patriarchal power systems."
"We are gravely concerned by the credible allegations in the ‘Epstein files’ of systemic trafficking of young women and girls for purposes of sexual exploitation and call for a full and transparent investigation," they said in a statement.
Noting that allegations in the files implicate senior politicians, public figures and global business leaders, the statement noted that the documents present shocking evidence of the trafficking of girls and young women across multiple international borders, continuing for decades.
"The commodification and brutalisation of the bodies of young women and girls revealed in media reporting, and the publication of faceless images of children in abject, vulnerable positions, must be accounted for," said experts.
They also stressed that the trafficking of children and young women is a serious criminal offence, and a grave violation of human rights.
"We are deeply concerned that the response of states and law enforcement authorities has been wholly inadequate - disproportionate to the urgency and gravity of the crimes alleged, and to the suffering of victims and survivors," they said.
The statement underlined that the failure to ensure accountability perpetuates a "culture of impunity" that disproportionately harms women and girls, and undermines the promise of equal protection under international human rights law.
The experts noted that states have a positive obligation, grounded in international law, to prevent trafficking in persons for sexual exploitation, to identify, assist and protect victims of trafficking.
On Jan. 30, the US Justice Department released more than 3 million pages of documents, 2,000 videos and 180,000 images under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which was signed into law last November.
The materials include grand jury transcripts and investigative records, though many pages remain heavily redacted. Epstein survivors and victims’ relatives said the release falls short of what the law requires and omits much vital information.
Late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein was found dead by suicide in a New York City jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges involving underage girls.
