(WASHINGTON) -- A group of women victimized by late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein spoke out at the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday ahead of a highly anticipated vote on a House bill ordering the release of the Justice Department's files on Epstein.
"We are fighting for the children," said survivor Haley Robson, as she held up a photograph of herself as a young girl.
Many of the women similarly held up photographs of themselves as children and young women as they shared stories about the abuse they say they suffered at the hands of Epstein and his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell.
Robson said this is a "human issue" and called for political agendas to be put aside before delivering a direct message to President Donald Trump.
"And to the president of the United States of America, who is not here today, I want to send a clear message to you. While I do understand that your position has changed on the Epstein files and I'm grateful that you have pledged to sign this bill, I can't help to be skeptical of what the agenda is. So with that being said, I want to relay this message to you: I am traumatized. I am not stupid."
"You have put us through so much stress, the lockdown, the halt of these procedures that were supposed to have happened 50 days ago, the Adelita Grijalva who waited to get sworn in, and then get upset when your own party goes against you, because what is being done is wrong," Robson said. "It's not right. For your own self-serving purposes. This is America. This is land of the free, land of the free."
"I do not feel free today," Robson added, before she implored every member of Congress to "choose the survivors, choose the children."
Robson thanked Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna and Republican Reps. Thomas Massie and Marjorie Taylor Greene for supporting the bill in spite of political backlash.
Another survivor, Jena-Lisa Jones, also directly addressed Trump and criticized his administration's handling of the Epstein matter.
"I beg you, President Trump, please stop making this political. It is not about you, President Trump. You are our president. Please start acting like it. Show some class, show some real leadership, show that you actually care about people other than yourself. I voted for you, but your behavior on this issue has been a national embarrassment," Jones said.
Teresa Helm said she would like to be there the day Trump signs the bill, should it pass the House and Senate.
"I'm sure all of us would like to be there," she said.
Sky Roberts held a photograph of his sister, Virginia Roberts Guiffre, a prominent Epstein accuser who died by suicide earlier this year. Roberts spoke through tears at times as he told of his sister's legacy and urged Congress to take action.
"My sister is not a political tool for you to use. These survivors are not political tools for you to use. These are real stories, real trauma, and it's time for you to stop just talking about it and act. Vote yes," Roberts said.
Several survivors admonished the politicization of the Epstein files.
"None of us here signed up for this political warfare. We never asked to be dragged into battles between people who never protected us in the first place. We are exhausted from surviving the trauma and then surviving the politics that swirl around it," said survivor Wendy Avis.
"This is not an issue of a few corrupt Democrats or a few corrupt Republicans. This is a case of institutional betrayal. Because these crimes were not properly investigated, so many more girls and women were harmed," said Annie Farmer.