UN General Assembly President Annalena Baerbock criticised how the Epstein files have been handled and called for stronger protection for the victims. “In addition to an unavoidable investigation and victim protection, those who have long dismissed the fight for women’s rights as a bother should urgently examine themselves” she told the news portal T‑Online.
She described the incidents listed in the files as “disgusting, frightening” and urged everyone to do everything possible. “Girls as young as our daughters were abused in the worst possible ways and, for years, were left behind despite their statements” Baerbock said.
Baerbock warned that a “power elite” protects one another when it comes to “criminal child abuse”; this, she added, compromises global security because it opens enormous extortion possibilities.
She sees the scandal as further evidence that societal equality must be strengthened. “The more women are in leadership positions, the less vulnerable a society becomes to corruption, abuse of office, power abuse, and especially sexual exploitation” she concluded.