Statement from Amanda Finger, Executive Director, Laboratory to Combat Human Trafficking (LCHT)
February 18, 2026
Like many people, we’ve been following recent reporting related to Jeffrey Epstein and the release of additional records and related documents. What deserves our attention is not the spectacle around this story, but the reality at its center: survivors who were harmed, and systems that failed to protect them.
We want to hold this moment with care and with clarity.
Survivors deserve truth and accountability. They deserve privacy and dignity. They deserve the chance to heal without having their experiences turned into content. We understand the anger and impatience many people feel when justice has been delayed again and again. We also know that when new information floods the public conversation, it’s easy to jump to conclusions before the full facts are clear. So we’re going to be careful about what we share. We won’t amplify rumors, circulate unverified lists of names, or repost graphic details.
At the same time, we should not minimize what these new releases and the public attention around them reveal. Abuse on this scale is rarely sustained by one person alone. Epstein’s access to powerful spaces did not happen by accident. People made choices to be close to him. Others ignored warning signs or treated harm as someone else’s problem. Even when criminal liability is not fully established, there can still be moral responsibility for enabling access and protecting reputations over people.
We don’t want this story to become the default lens for how people understand human trafficking.
High-profile cases can make trafficking feel distant, as if it only happens in elite circles. In Colorado, trafficking is often more common and closer to home. Survivors in our state are frequently harmed by someone they already know. Exploitation can involve people being forced, tricked, or pressured to work in all kinds of jobs. It is not just sex trafficking. It shows up across communities and industries, and it is fueled by isolation, housing instability, and barriers to getting help.
We also know that access to justice is not equal. Many survivors face obstacles that make accountability harder to reach and services harder to access. That reality should reinforce our resolve to build systems that protect people consistently over time, not only when a story makes national headlines.
At the Laboratory to Combat Human Trafficking, we connect people to help and strengthen community-based responses across Colorado. Our goal is to make exploitation harder to carry out and easier to interrupt. We do that by operating Colorado’s 24/7 Human Trafficking Hotline, providing training for professionals and community members, and using research and data to strengthen local action and prevention efforts statewide.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the news, start with credible reporting and resist sharing what has not been verified. Then bring it closer to home. Talk with your friends and family about what trafficking can look like in your community, and what to do if someone needs help.
And if you or someone you know does need support, or you are concerned about a situation, Colorado has a statewide, 24/7 Human Trafficking Hotline operated by our team. Call 866-455-5075, text 720-999-9724, or visit combathumantrafficking.org/hotline to connect with a trained advocate and Colorado-specific resources.
We can be honest about what the Epstein story reveals, including how power can enable harm and how silence can protect it. We will not turn survivors’ experiences into content or ask people who have been harmed to relive their trauma in public to be believed or to drive action. Our commitment at LCHT is to keep building a Colorado response rooted in data, integrity, and real support for people impacted by sex and labor trafficking.
Amanda Finger
Executive Director, Co-Founder
Laboratory to Combat Human Trafficking (LCHT)
How you can respond
Many of you are feeling outraged by what recent reporting reveals, and by how often systems fail survivors. That frustration is real. There are also meaningful ways to respond here in Colorado that strengthen community safety and increase access to support:
- Learn and share responsibly:
Choose credible sources and resist circulating rumors, unverified lists of names, or graphic details about survivors’ experiences. - Bring it closer to home:
Have a conversation with friends or family about what trafficking can look like in everyday life, including labor trafficking, and what to do if someone needs help. - Request a training:
Moments like this shape how communities understand trafficking. LCHT offers training for workplaces, schools, and community groups to recognize exploitation and respond safely, including labor trafficking.
- Support survivors here in Colorado:
If you’re feeling outraged by injustice in national stories, your gift can help survivors in Colorado reach our 24/7 hotline and connect to vetted, trauma-informed resources.