ECPAT-USA’s Response to The Indictment Of Peter Nygard

This week, federal prosecutors in New York City charged Peter Nygard with sex trafficking, racketeering, and other offenses, The New York Times reported. The Canadian fashion mogul’s alleged crimes involve the exploitation of dozens of victims, another shocking example of a powerful man preying upon children in vulnerable positions.

According to the indictment, Nygard targeted girls from “disadvantaged economic backgrounds,” some of whom had a history of abuse. When these girls fought back, they were assaulted or sometimes even drugged “to ensure their compliance with Nygard’s sexual demands.” The Times also reported that Nygard often portrayed himself as a “playboy,” surrounding himself with young women and teenage girls. While he may have viewed the adolescents he abused as a way to access the “fountain of youth,” the allegations suggest that he was entirely unconcerned about robbing his victims of their own childhoods. 

After decades of flagrant activity, Nygard’s arrest this week is an important step toward justice for his victims. But, as with other alleged high profile pedophiles, Nygard could not have built an exploitative empire without significant support from others, and ECPAT-USA demands that federal prosecutors also investigate those who aided and abetted any criminal activity connected to child exploitation. There must be a clear and consistent message from our government: no one, regardless of their privilege, has the right to consume children for their perverse sexual gratification. Until systemic and structural changes are made to end the demand for children’s bodies, we will continue to read tragic accounts of justice delivered too late for young victims.

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