Regarding the Epstein victims,

[babylonsister]

particularly the girls who were minors...where were their parents during this travesty visited upon them? I understand some may have been runaways, trying to escape a personal damaging environment, but we're talking about hundreds of girls traumatized by these evil pricks.

When they disappeared for days, even a day/night, or weeks, I am puzzled why we don't hear if any parents sounded the alarm. Seems odd to me but I may be missing something.

[gab13by13]

1. That's the wrong question to ask,

and that is all I am going to say.

[Layzeebeaver]

4. It's not wrong to ask, but...

It’s not the one question to prioritise answering.

Especially in such general terms. The specific answer is unique to each victims story and experience.

Such questions can sometimes often be construed as blame sharing between perpetrators and victims (like this… “sure Epstein sexually abused a lot of girls BUT where were the parents??!!??” Which infers that only if the parents had done something then this would have never happened. I call bullshit on that.

I’m not an expect in victims rights or trauma but my recommendation would be to tread carefully.

[walkingman]

2. I suspect it involved all kinds of things - the most common thing I have personally

seen in my youth (70s) was promise of a "modeling" future - you women, some underage - some are attracted to these predators who were never legit but knew they could attract young women/girls with the promise of a "career" - often starting with nude or semi-nude modeling and then advancing from there. It is common even today and is basically nothing more than sexual.

Another thing that I have read the financial leverage factor with struggling families, etc. Overlooking the obvious.

I suspect some were simply complicit - sad but true.

Not based on anything other than my life experience.

[lapfog_1]

6. who were never legit

not quite.

THESE predators were not just 2 bit hustlers with a "modeling agency" business card. They HAD actual modeling agencies and the "madam" older woman ( Maxwell ) to assure the girls and their parents that the girls would be "well taken care of". Plus these were rich people, with mansions and fancy cars and the parties where the girls would be invited to mingle with the rich men... many recognizable and well known.

At least one of them owned "legit" beauty pageants. Who wouldn't want to be Miss Teen USA and get that scholarship money and promise of a big career modeling. Never mind the creepy guy wondering through the dressing rooms to "check on things". He was just Uncle Donald.

I can see why pretty girls in the 12 to 17 age range... and their parents if they even had involved parents, would be like "hey, sure you can take my daughter to your mansion and dress her up like an adult and have her mingle and party with the rich elite, if that means a 6 figure modeling contract..." Right up until someone drugs them and sticks a finger in their vagina to measure how tight they are and auction them off to the highest bidder for fun and games. But with the threat of "tell anyone about this and we will kill your entire family starting with your younger sister"

[leftstreet]

3. Misogyny is systemic n/t

[MiHale]

5. I've wondered the same...

Unless they were paid off…which at that point becomes very hard to think about.

[babylonsister]

14. I imagine that's a possibility we would not have

heard about sadly.

[mopinko]

7. you have too high an opinion of parents.

i wonder how many outright sold their girls to him.
many set them up by abusing them themselves.

even parents who do their best lose control of their teenagers.
it is, indeed, the wrong question to ask.

[babylonsister]

8. I had great role models in my parents

and could not imagine them doing...nothing. But I'm pretty old so perhaps parenting has 'evolved' since the time I was growing up.

Why is this the wrong question to ask? We're talking thousands of individuals here. What exactly would be the right question? I just feel so very sorry for the minors involved; could abuse have been their default?

As has been pointed out, there are probably tons of different reasons, but the indifference bugs me, though that might not be the case at all. People are entitled to their privacy, so maybe it's none of my beeswax.

[Grim Chieftain]

9. It is not the wrong question to ask

It is logical and important.

[Cirsium]

11. Reactionary and misguided

Reactionary and misguided is more like it. Couching social issues as "personal responsibility" issues is reactionary. It has long been used by the right wing to attack progressive programs that address social issues.

The logical and important questions to ask are why and how so many young people, especially girls, become so vulnerable, why there are so few resources available to help them, why there is so little accountability for the abusers, etc. The best parenting in the world is still a poor match against the social forces at work here.

[babylonsister]

13. Thanks. Nothing like being attacked here for

asking a question.

And to have someone accuse me of blaming anyone, parents or victims, is pretty twisted.

[Grim Chieftain]

15. You did nothing wrong

[mopinko]

18. i'm the 6th of 7. i had a feral childhood.

my parents had no idea what i was up to most of the time. so many parents who work 2-3 jobs have no idea either. at least in my day, there were a lot of eyes on me in the hood.
my middle kid is bipolar. she had a pager then a cellphone so we at least had a way to contact her. her electronic leash.

there’s a million reasons parents dont know what their kids r up to.

[Cirsium]

10. Seriously?

The predators target the most vulnerable. There is a wide range of social problems that cause girls to be vulnerable. Blaming parents is just foolish.

[babylonsister]

12. I'm not blaming their parents; maybe you need

some reading comprehension. I was wondering why it appears their parents weren't supportive; you can chalk that up to social problems but I was looking for something more concrete to help me understand. For all I know many parents were supportive and we just haven't heard about them, possibly because of the time that has passed. I threw this question out there because I figured someone here might have more info than I do.

[Cirsium]

17. OK

I still think it is the wrong question and it suggests the parents are to blame.

"Where were their parents during this travesty visited upon them?" What does that mean?

Here is the mother of a victim:

"It makes me sick. Literally churns my stomach. Carolyn and I did everything together since the day she was born. I was literally robbed. Those men need to know that. Not only did you rape our children, but you raped their mothers. It goes up the family tree, and they need to know that, they need to be held responsible for it."

https://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/they-destroyed-my-life-mother-of-epstein-victim-speaks-after-over-150-names-released/3197388/

Here is Epstein survivor Annie Farmer:

Yes. Yeah. And again, another thing about this, that I think people haven't understood, I know people have, I've seen hurtful comments that people have made saying things like, where are the parents here?

And there's a wide range of people involved in this situation. But I know for many people, there was grooming of the entire family, right? And that's something that happens in a lot of child sexual abuse cases, right? This person doesn't just focus their energy on grooming the victim, but also building trust across the community and across a family. And I went to New Mexico for this weekend with them. And my mom took me to the airport. It was not a secret. We thought this was a great opportunity.
...
Now when I've spoken with my mom about what occurred when I returned, she said I just seemed off. And when she would ask me questions, I just was like, I'm just tired. I don't wanna talk about it. And really, I just didn't really have the language or a template for understanding what had happened to me.

https://www.wbur.org/onpoint/2025/11/06/epstein-files-ghislaine-maxwell-survivor-annie-farmer-act

Epstein survivor Haley Robson:

"I think a lot predators look at women like Jeffrey did, from broken homes or abusive homes," Robson said. Though Robson said she had amazing parents and came from a healthy home, she said most of Epstein's victims did not. "He looked for girls or children who don't have guidance or the upbringing, and they feed off that. It becomes an easier target for them," Robson said.

https://www.wptv.com/news/epstein/he-wanted-that-innocence-jeffrey-epstein-survivors-recount-intimidation-and-trauma-of-encounters

[babylonsister]

22. Thank you-that is the kind of info I was wondering about.

I failed to google, but wondered if the families had weighed in and I now know some have, so thanks.

[Cirsium]

23. Sorry if I overreacted

"Where are the parents??" was at one time a mantra from a right wing talk show person here. The idea he pushed was that parents were "sparing the rod and spoiling the child" and that was supposedly the root cause of all of our problems.

[haele]

16. Complex, because there was a power dynamic involved

That's always been skirted around.
A wealthy man or organization will coax, bully or threaten as needed.
Through the US worship of celebrity and acquiring money while not going to jail, the wealthy man or organization is also being portrayed as a socially beneficial force; not an obvious mobster or organized crime.

At best, a struggling family that is just glad to not have to financially worry about at least one of their children that can land a job that might get them into the rarified sphere of the rich. And that family won't have access to legal protections to prosecute should their child be abused and hurt.

Other children came from broken homes or were looking for emancipation from the chaos of their lives and basically "ran away" for a better life in their view.
Their parents ether weren't there, didn't care, or had been overwhelmed and gave up, letting the child go free so long as they could check in.
Any parents, parent, or guardian that may have been available as a caregiver also most likely did not have access to legal protections for that child.

Other children may have eagerly been sold by parents or guardians for money.

But no matter "where the parents were", this is still a situation where wealthy men or organizations used their power to coerce or procure vulnerable children into the horrific situation where they were turned into non-human disposable play toys for the amusement of idle, bored rich sociopaths.

[hunter]

19. There's nothing odd about it.

The abuse they suffered at the hands of Epstein may have been preferable to the abuse or neglect they were suffering at home.

Beyond that, teenagers often make stupid decisions and end up addicted to drugs and alcohol, hooking up with people who abuse them, etc..

My mind went a little sideways in later adolescence and it took me a decade to claw most of it back. I didn't abuse drugs or alcohol, I deftly avoided sexual predators, but I became a feral creature who refused anyone's advice, who was racing through life burning all bridges behind him.

I had good parents who did as best they could, yet the first time I was forced to take a time out from college they didn't even ask why. They may have guessed but they were all worn out. They had no idea what to do with me. Neither did anyone else.

[Maru Kitteh]

20. You are only missing how many parents don't give a shit what happens to their girls.

Volunteer at a girls shelter or any similar organization near you, if you can stand it. You will understand very quickly.

[AZJonnie]

21. I'll give you the Occam's Razor explanation, the goal here being to grant some of the parents a bit of largesse

* 14 of the 15 known-minor Epstein victims have consistently described a pattern of "sexualized massage" appointments with Epstein himself, sometimes involving other girls/women, but not his rich associates, and not taking place on Little Saint James. They'd come over (often after school), spend an hour, get paid, and leave. 15-17 year old girls can hide what they're doing for a couple hours from their parents pretty readily. Plus as you say, at least some of them did have low levels of parental supervision (a known-part of his sick predation pattern).

* Also, many of the initial criminal complaints circa 2006 came as result of the parents finally finding out what was really happening at these appointments and alerting authorities.

* On top of being a perv outright, I believe he was grooming these minors for the REAL business, which was trafficking 18-29 year old's recruited from all over the world. Sadly this is something that can be done for profit with only a small fraction of the legal (and professional) risks created by directly involving minors in a sex trade business. I believe this larger population is where the "hundreds of victims" numbers come from, and also that these are the young women trafficked at Little Saint James, rather than the kids, who he abused stateside.