OPINION:
Those who doubt that one person can change the world are wrong. Virginia Roberts Giuffre, the Jeffrey Epstein/Prince Andrew accuser, proved that the single-mindedness and zeal of a woman on a moral mission can be loud and forceful.
In stripping Prince Andrew of his royal titles and evicting him from the royal estate in Windsor, his brother King Charles made a declarative statement that no one, not even a royal, enjoys entitlement to a minor to satisfy their own needs. Though Giuffre did not live to see Prince Andrew expelled from the royal family (she died by suicide in April), her relentless two-decade quest for justice landed Epstein and his collaborator, British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, in prison. Epstein is said to have taken his life in 2019 while awaiting trial.
It took one woman to bring about this seismic change in the monarchy, and I knew her myself. A sociologist and social activist who has studied child-sex trafficking in the family courts for four decades, I met one of Giuffre’s attorneys when I was speaking at a journalism conference in Chicago many years ago. When I learned he was epresenting Giuffre, I reached out to lend my support. I asked him to share my manuscript on child exploitation with his client. Giuffre responded right away with a poignant quote that appears on the jacket of my book. She understood the pain of child exploitation firsthand and was able to relate to the case narratives in my book.
Many people wonder what gave her the strength to pursue her battle against the royal family. She was obviously not motivated by money, since she placed the proceeds from her settlement into a charity. Then what motivated her?
The answer is as old as the Bible. In the book of Deuteronomy 16.11, Moses in his peroration to the Jewish people exhorted: “Justice, Justice, Thou Shalt Pursue.” Giuffre embodied the biblical urging to seek justice with perseverance and strength.
AMY NEUSTEIN
Co-author, “From Madness to Mutiny: Why Mothers are Running from the Family Courts – and What Can be Done About It”
Fort Lee, New Jersey
Please read our comment policy before commenting.