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Prince Andrew agreement proves that no one can act with impunity

2022-02-17T18:19:43.742Z


The fact that Prince Andrew had to face his responsibility in the Virginia Giuffre case sends a message to everyone about impunity.


What does the settlement in the lawsuit against Prince Andrew imply?

2:17

Editor's note:

Kara Alaimo, associate professor of public relations at Hofstra University, is the author of "Pitch, Tweet, or Engage on the Street: How to Practice Global Public Relations and Strategic Communication."

She was a spokesperson for international affairs at the Treasury Department during the Obama administration.

Follow her on Twitter @karaalaimo.

The opinions expressed in this article belong solely to the author.

(CNN) --

Virginia Giuffre, the woman who claims she was trafficked by Jeffrey Epstein and forced to have sex with the likes of Prince Andrew, has reached a settlement with the prince and plans to request the dismissal of his civil lawsuit against him, according to a court document filed by his attorneys on Tuesday.


In the lawsuit, she had claimed that Prince Andrew was aware that she was a minor when he sexually abused her on multiple occasions.

The prince "denies that he was a co-conspirator with Epstein or that Epstein brought him girls," according to his lawyers' filing, but had faced charges as a private citizen in New York after Buckingham Palace announced he had been stripped of his titles. military.

  • ANALYSIS |

    Prince Andrew has reached an agreement with the woman who accused him of sexual abuse.

    What will happen to him now?

In an interview with the BBC in 2019, Prince Andrew expressed regret at staying at the home of Epstein, who was a convicted sex offender, but said he had "no recollection" of meeting Giuffre.

However, a photo circulating widely in the media appears to show Prince Andrew with his arm around Giuffre.

Giuffre is among a number of women who have accused Epstein, who died by suicide in prison in 2019, of abuse.

Although we don't know the amount of the settlement announced Tuesday, the fact that Prince Andrew has apparently been forced to pay reparations is an important result, not just for Giuffre, but for all women.

After all, what happened is extraordinarily unusual.

The son of the queen of the United Kingdom, a man who is a royal, was stripped of his privileges by his own mother after being accused of sexual misconduct and forced to account for his behavior in a foreign court, although he ended up reaching a settlement with Giuffre out of court.

This sends a resounding message to other powerful men: no privilege in the world will allow you to use your power to avoid accusations of sexual abuse.

Of course, Prince Andrew is not fully responsible for Giuffre's accusations because he has not been charged with crimes, even though Giuffre says she was 17 years old when she was allegedly forced to perform sexual acts with him, both in the United States and abroad. the United Kingdom.

However, the fact that he has essentially faced a royal “excommunication”, a civil trial abroad and been forced to pay compensation to her can only have put many other men on notice, and points out to other women who have been sexually abused that their voices will be heard.

Why was Prince Andrew stripped of his titles?

2:47

This is a far cry from the days before the #MeToo movement, when influential men like Harvey Weinstein long relied on their power to allow them to abuse women without consequence.

(Weinstein was convicted in 2020 of criminal sexual act and third-degree rape in New York, and last year he pleaded not guilty to other sexual assault charges in California.)

"Jeffrey Epstein is known to have trafficked innumerable young girls over many years," acknowledged a letter submitted to federal Judge Lewis Kaplan about the settlement.

"Prince Andrew regrets his association with Epstein and commends the courage of Ms. Giuffre and other survivors in standing up for themselves and others. He pledges to show his remorse for his association with Epstein by supporting the fight against the evils of sex trafficking, and supporting their victims.

The letter also states that "Prince Andrew intends to make a substantial donation to Ms Giuffre's charity in support of victims' rights. Prince Andrew has never intended to defame the character of Ms Giuffre." Giuffre, and accepts that she has suffered both as a proven victim of abuse and as a result of unjust public attacks."

While it remains surprising that Prince Andrew has not taken responsibility for harming Giuffre, it is particularly fitting that the settlement allows Giuffre to help other victims, as she serves as a role model for other women who may be reluctant to come forward with their own accounts of harm. sexual abuse.

Her bravery is inspiring and her interest in helping others is admirable.

  • 2009 deal between Prince Andrew accuser Virginia Roberts Giuffre and Jeffrey Epstein revealed

Queen Elizabeth's role in the case is also significant.

Although a mother's first instinct may be none other than to protect her son, her refusal to do so sends a message that she recognizes that it is no longer socially acceptable to protect men accused of sexual misconduct, and serves as a strong example to others. family members and powerful people around other suspected criminals on how they should behave.

Of course, concern for his family's reputation may have forced his decision;

the UK's Sunday Times reported that the queen's private estate was funding Prince Andrew's legal bills, and the Daily Beast reported that the queen sent a message to the media warning them not to take photos of her family the day Prince Andrew arrived at his Balmoral estate in August.

This was widely interpreted as an effort to protect him (the palace said they routinely send such letters, but the fact that it was sent on the day Andrew arrived, well after the queen's arrival, was noteworthy). ).

Still, the fact that the queen realized at the end that she could not protect her son signals an important social change.

There is an important lesson to be learned about responsibility from the way Prince Andrew so shamefully lost his military titles and royal charities and was forced to answer to an accuser abroad.

It is a lesson that I hope other powerful men around the world take note of.

If you have information about human trafficking, you can call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888 (TTY: 711) or text: 233733.

Sexual abuse Prince Andrew

Source: cnnespanol

All news articles on 2022-02-17

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