Survivor Stories
On who gets heard and why that matters.
Last week I had the privilege of participating in a panel at the International Journalism Festival in Perugia that was organized and moderated by Annette Young, host of the 51 percent on France 24. Among the participants were two women who had been abused by Jeffrey Epstein. While I’ve interviewed a lot of survivors of sexual assault, it’s rare that I have the chance to hear them talk about what it’s like to be on the receiving end of questions from the press. It was an educational experience.
We discussed a wide range of topics, including the cost to victims in coming forward, who gets listened to, and what—if anything—has changed in the post #metoo era.
You can watch the replay here:
Such an inspiring panel - it's horrible, but also heartening to see these woman expressing true powers of intellect and empathy, and not looking away.
Thanks for this. Having just read Nobody’s Girl, I’m even more aware of the obstacles anyone faces when trying to get the LAWs to be upheld when rich men flaunt them.
It’s infuriating.
This is of many reasons why I indie published my Paris memoir - to name & out the pedophile, and the rich system he was part of, and which I detailed. His father was once the Saudi Ambassador to France…
My book, The Importance of Paris by Cynthia F. Davidson, won an IPPY award in 2019, and the audio version is still selling on Amazon.