Ghislaine Maxwell Found Guilty

Some teenage girls are more vulnerable to sexual exploitation than others. The evidence is clear that children with attachment difficulties, children who have been abused, neglected, sexualised etc are more vulnerable than those with secure attachments, loving parents who set appropriate boundaries.

Galaxy when does a teenager stop being a child ? A 16 year old can marry with parents consent , 18 to vote, 18 to marry without consent .

Yes a 14 year old is a child but a 17 year old ?

It depends on the relevant legislation annie so in this country for example if an adult films a 17 year old undertaking a sexual act that is illegal. They can only consent to that at 18.

Thank you for replying Galaxy yes an 18 year old is not a child, I don’t think 17 year olds are children but the law does.

They could consent to sex itself at 16. There are many variations with regard to minors. Sone countries have laws relating to the age gap between those who have sex. So its ok for example for two 17 year olds to have sex but against the law for say a 40 year old to have sex with a 17 year old. Something which strikes me as eminently sensible.

It isn't victim blaming, it is a genuine question.
Not much of the actual case has been reported here, but seriously, would you return willingly for what is a horrible un natural experience?
And yes, I have had contact with children who were abused, a boy and a girl, but they were in families and it was not possible to escape.
I also know someone who was the victim of a false accusation of child molestation, and was only cleared because a victim of the identical scam came forward to identify the perpetrators.

I think I have said this before but when I was young I knew a 17 year old who got pregnant to a teacher. She had an abortion alone. Now she was over the age of consent but I think that's an abusive situation that nowadays would be covered by the law relating to teachers.

Easy bee, I responded earlier by mentioning Stockholme Syndrome.

But the original Stockholm situation occurs between victims and captors, and these girls were not captives, dependant on Epstein or even in regular close contact, as I thought originally.

I believe they were enticed by the glamorous lifestyle apparently on offer to them.
I also think that this trial, with Maxwell held in custody for fifteen months and the threat of lifelong sentences held over her is an attempt to force her to give names of participants in plea-bargaining because the original Epstein trial was such a whitewash.

“and it was not possible to escape”

I know someone whose prison was totally invisible to the outside world.
It was not possible for her to escape for many years but escape she did and to this day suffers because she did.

Abuse of power or position is heinous but it’s “new” in the eyes of the law. Every step forward to raise its ugly hold on its victims is a step in the right direction.

I just cannot compare a 14 year old with a 17 year old ,

It’s just as well then Anniebach that there are others who can and who understand.

To be clear in my last post the abuse I referred to being new is coercive control.

Reading this thread, I have just realised I sailed close to the edge of a coercive situation myself, when I was 19.
So, not a child, certainly no innocent, no abusive background, but a very similar situation.

Are you speaking of a girl trapped in a marriage by a controlling husband ?

I think it's a shame that question awas asked and that it might influence thinking against a victim. The damage that has been done by those sort of questions is catastrophic. The Me Too movement should have us listening.

It’s wrong to speak of controlling husbands ?

I didn’t hear any evidence of girls introduced by GM to Epstein and his friends being unable to prevent the initial experience being repeated. They were not imprisoned, none gave any evidence of being forcibly held down, threats or coercion to my knowledge or the media would have made much of it. So why did they keep going back for more if it was all so terrible?

Germanshepherdsmum

I didn’t hear any evidence of girls introduced by GM to Epstein and his friends being unable to prevent the initial experience being repeated. They were not imprisoned, none gave any evidence of being forcibly held down, threats or coercion to my knowledge or the media would have made much of it. So why did they keep going back for more if it was all so terrible?

So why did they keep going back for more if it was all so terrible?

I'm not a lawyer but the actions of the victims is not the issue - surely the crime was procuring under-age girls in the first place.

Even if none of them ever returned after the first time, the crime was commited.

It was illegal, the court has rules it so. That should be enough really. If we want to protect young women in future we cannot question young women who are not old enough to make informed choices... Which is why the law is there.

I didn’t know there were girls in this country involved, why bring Virginia Guiffrie from America

Riverwalk

Germanshepherdsmum

I didn’t hear any evidence of girls introduced by GM to Epstein and his friends being unable to prevent the initial experience being repeated. They were not imprisoned, none gave any evidence of being forcibly held down, threats or coercion to my knowledge or the media would have made much of it. So why did they keep going back for more if it was all so terrible?

So why did they keep going back for more if it was all so terrible?

I'm not a lawyer but the actions of the victims is not the issue - surely the crime was procuring under-age girls in the first place.

Even if none of them ever returned after the first time, the crime was commited.

I'm a retired lawyer. It's a line of questioning I would have pursued.

Which is why a lot of female victims don't report crime.

And I'm not sure all of these would had $$$$ not been given them in the first place, with the prospect of yet more in 'compensation'.

Miss A. Totally agree and these guys are laughing all the way to their next victim.

MissAdventure

Which is why a lot of female victims don't report crime.

This

Imagine a family member coming to someone with those views and their response was to question their actions.

It happens all the time. I won't repeat what my mother said when I told her and I was a small child when it happened to me but it prevented me from seeking support until much later in life.

A child is a child. 14 or 4.