In a statement titled “What we’re bracing for” and made public on Thursday, Epstein’s survivors have demanded accountability and legal support to face their abusers and get justice. “Many of us have already received death threats and other threats of harm. We are bracing for these to escalate”, they said. “We ask every federal and state law enforcement agency that has jurisdiction over these threats to investigate them and protect us”.

They also warned that there have been attempts to blame the victims for their own or each other’s abuse.

Some of the survivors have increased the pace of their campaigning efforts recently to pressure the United States administration to release the Justice Department’s files on the late sex offender, speaking publicly about their stories.

The furore has dominated the national agenda in the US with President Donald Trump backpedalling on his opposition against the Justice Department releasing the files with a sudden about-face last week. Trump signed a bill on Wednesday requiring the Justice Department to release all of the files related to the disgraced financier. That was one day after the legislation was unanimously approved in the US Senate.

After he signed the move into law, the department has 30 days to make them public. The development follows weeks of intense political fighting about how far to go in disclosing records tied to Epstein. The release could identify some of the most high-profile figures in politics, entertainment and business. “Years ago, Epstein got away with abusing us by portraying us as flawed and bad girls”, said the statement by the survivors, demanding full disclosure of the files. “We cannot let his enablers use this tactic to escape accountability now”, added the appeal, signed by 18 named survivors and 10 Jane Does. (Aljazeera)