02/06/2026
As a child and teen therapist, I want to say something that’s uncomfortable—but essential.
Keeping children and teens safe from sexual abuse and assault starts with education, connection, and belief.
Prevention isn’t about fear. It’s about:
• Teaching children the correct names for body parts
• Helping them understand body autonomy and consent
• Letting them know they can say “no” to anyone
• Creating homes and communities where questions are welcomed
• Believing them if they disclose—calmly, without blame
Most abuse is committed by someone a child knows. That’s why open, ongoing conversations matter more than “stranger danger” talks.
If you’re a parent or caregiver, you don’t have to get it perfect. You just have to be present, curious, and willing to listen.
If you’re a teen reading this: what happened to you is never your fault, and help is available.
And if you’re an adult who carries childhood trauma—healing is possible. You are not alone.
Protecting kids means talking about hard things so they don’t have to carry them alone. 🤍
If this post helps even one child feel safer or one adult speak up, it matters. Please share.
"Survivors are having their names and identifying information exposed, while the men who abused us remain hidden and protected. That is outrageous." That was the devastating statement from 19 Epstein survivors after the Department of Justice released its latest -- and what it claims is final -- trove of files last Friday. The release exposed victims' names and photos, including those of underage girls, while the identities of the men accused of abusing them remained shielded behind redactions.
Victims' attorneys called it "the single most egregious violation of victim privacy in one day in United States history," reporting thousands of redaction failures that outed women whose names had never been publicly tied to the case. The message from survivors was clear: this process is protecting abusers, not the victims they abused.
For its latest drop, the DOJ released over 3 million additional pages, along with more than 2,000 videos and 180,000 images, bringing the total to roughly 3.5 million pages. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche declared the release the end of the process, claiming the department has fully complied with the Epstein Files Transparency Act. But the DOJ itself identified over 6 million potentially responsive pages -- meaning roughly half remain unreleased.
As Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez put it: "Even with everything in this Epstein drop, remember: this is a minority of the files. This is STILL just what they were willing to release -- in violation of the law, which requires release of all files. Pam Bondi's DOJ is still hiding most of them. We need them all."
The Democratic Women's Caucus isn't backing down either. In a letter to the DOJ Inspector General, they wrote: "The continued lack of care and respect shown to [survivors] in this process is baffling, disappointing, and deeply immoral." They demanded a thorough investigation into the DOJ's handling of the release and called on the Inspector General to ensure the files are released in full compliance with the law and in a survivor-centered manner. Their conclusion left no room for ambiguity: "DOJ's actions to this point have failed survivors and protected abusers."
The pressure on Attorney General Pam Bondi is mounting -- and fast. Rep. Ro Khanna, the Democratic co-author of the Epstein Files Transparency Act, called the release "significant" but "not good enough," warning on Meet the Press: "If we don't get the remaining files... and if the survivors are not happy, then Thomas Massie and I are prepared to move on impeachment or contempt." It's a rare bipartisan threat -- Khanna, a Democrat, and Massie, a Republican, standing together against a Trump-appointed Attorney General.
As Khanna declared in December, as the DOJ blew past its original deadline: "If Pam Bondi does not comply with the law, she will be held either in inherent contempt of Congress or subject to impeachment. We will not rest until the law is complied with and justice is served."
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To read the powerful story of one victim of both Epstein and Maxwell, we recommend Virginia Roberts Giuffre's harrowing memoir: "Nobody’s Girl: A Memoir of Surviving Abuse and Fighting for Justice," visit https://amzn.to/4nZbSAZ (Amazon) and https://bookshop.org/a/8011/9780593493120 (Bookshop)
Raising kids to have empathy for others and an understanding of consent is one of the most important things parents can do to help reduce the incidence of sexual assault. To teach children -- girls and boys alike -- about the need to respect others and their personal boundaries, we recommend "Let's Talk About Body Boundaries, Consent, and Respect" for ages 4 to 7 (https://www.amightygirl.com/body-boundaries) and "Consent (for Kids!)" for ages 6 to 10 (https://www.amightygirl.com/consent-for-kids)
There is also a helpful guide for teens on topics such as consent and coercion, "Real Talk About S*x and Consent: What Every Teen Needs to Know," for ages 13 and up at https://www.amightygirl.com/real-talk-about-sex-and-consent
For an excellent book for older teens and adults about the early warning signs of abusive relationships, myths about abusive personalities, and how to get help, we highly recommend "Why Does He Do That?: Inside the Minds of Angry and Controlling Men" at https://www.amightygirl.com/why-does-he-do-that
If you know a teen girl struggling after sexual abuse or trauma, “The S*xual Trauma Workbook for Teen Girls: A Guide to Recovery from S*xual Assault and Abuse” may help at https://www.amightygirl.com/sexual-trauma-workbook-girls
For several fictional stories that address r**e and sexual violence and offer a helpful way to spark conversations with young adult readers around sexual assault, we recommend "Speak" for ages 14 and up (https://www.amightygirl.com/speak), "Girl Made of Stars" for ages 14 and up (https://www.amightygirl.com/girl-made-of-stars), and "The Way I Used To Be" for ages 15 and up (https://www.amightygirl.com/the-way-i-used-to-be)
Quote credit: Dr Ruby - X @ PaperWhispers
