This week, on September 3rd, survivors of trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation from across the United States and beyond gathered in Washington, D.C., for a powerful rally in support of the women exploited by Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell hosted by our freinds at World Without Exploitation. Members of SPACE International stood among them, proud to lend our voices and presence as sisters in solidarity.

Why We Were There

Two of our members, including myself, traveled to the nation’s capital to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with women who have endured what too many of us know too well: the devastating realities of forced commercial sexual exploitation. For decades, survivors of Epstein’s network have been silenced, disbelieved, and forced to fight uphill battles for justice. Their testimony before Congress this week and the rally that followed were acts of profound courage.

When the FBI announced earlier this year that “no buyer list exists,” survivors knew otherwise. They lived the abuse, they witnessed the buyers, and they remember the names. At the rally, women declared boldly that they are compiling their own list — because if no one else will hold the buyers accountable, they will. This bravery underscores the truth: without accountability, exploitation will continue to thrive in the shadows.

Why Buyer Accountability Matters

The case of Epstein and Maxwell is not an isolated scandal; it is a mirror of what happens in every system of prostitution worldwide. Survivors of SPACE International know from lived experience that the demand from men who purchase sexual access to women and children is what fuels trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation. Without buyers, there is no market. Without demand, there is no supply.

It is not enough to prosecute pimps, traffickers, and profiteers. We must also confront the men who create the demand…the buyers who believe they are entitled to another human being’s body. Justice cannot be selective. Survivors cannot heal while those responsible for their suffering walk free, shielded by wealth, influence, or political power.

A Call for Justice and Truth

At the rally, survivors called not only for the release of the buyer list, but also for Ghislaine Maxwell to serve the remainder of her sentence in maximum security prison, not in the minimal-security “resort-style” setting where she currently resides. As one survivor powerfully put it: “Maxwell was the system. And now we are pushing back against another system that refuses to acknowledge our victimization at the hands of all involved.”

These demands are not about vengeance. They are about truth. They are about exposing complicity at the highest levels. And they are about protecting the next generation from being lured, groomed, and sold into the same cycles of abuse that so many of us endured.

Standing Together

This rally was not just a protest; it was an act of empowerment, solidarity, and resistance. Survivors dropped everything and flew across the country to support one another. Together, we sent a clear message: we will not allow the powerful to bury the truth, silence our voices, or erase the crimes of those who bought and sold us.

As survivors with lived experience in every system of prostitution, we at SPACE International know the cost of silence and the danger of minimizing buyer accountability. We are committed to amplifying survivor voices, challenging systems that normalize exploitation, and demanding justice for all who have endured sexual exploitation…whether in Epstein’s network or in any red-light district in the world.

Moving Forward

The buyer list is real. The testimonies are real. The pain is real. And the call for justice will not go away.

We urge lawmakers, advocates, and the public to stand with survivors; not just in words, but in action. Accountability for Epstein’s buyers is accountability for every buyer who fuels exploitation. Justice for Epstein’s victims is justice for all of us.

Survivors should not have to fight this hard. But until the system changes, we will keep fighting — together.

MARJORIE F. SAYLOR