UN Human Rights Chief Raises Epstein Case Amid Call for Violence Against Women Accountability

Istanbul – The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, on Friday (28 February) urged governments worldwide to strengthen accountability for crimes against women and warned that entrenched power structures continue to protect perpetrators, concerns he underscored by referencing the Jeffrey Epstein scandal.

Speaking before the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Turk called upon states to fully investigate allegations of abuse, protect victims, and ensure independent and impartial justice systems. He also warned that attacks against women, particularly online, are intensifying.

He linked these concerns to a congressional hearing in the United States investigating networks surrounding Epstein, a convicted sex offender who has since died. According to Turk, prominent cases reveal broader systemic failures, not merely isolated violations.

“Does anyone think there are not many other men like Dominique Pellicot or Jeffrey Epstein?” Turk asked delegates, referring to Gisèle Pellicot, a French woman who was drugged by her husband and raped by dozens of men over a nine-year period.

Turk stated that violence continues because “such heinous abuse is enabled by social systems that silence women and girls and protect powerful men from accountability.”

Highlighting the scale of the crisis, he cited UN data showing that 50,000 women and girls were killed worldwide in 2024, predominantly by family members. He described violence against women, including femicide, as a global emergency.

The High Commissioner also warned of escalating hostility towards women leaders. He told the council that “every female politician I have met states they face continuous misogyny and online hate.” He added that such patterns reflect systemic failures that must be addressed through stronger governance and accountability mechanisms.