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- Virginia Giuffre accused Jeffrey Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell and Prince Andrew of sex abuse. Andrew has denied the allegations<\/strong><\/li>\n
- Giuffre’s family shared the note after learning that survivors and survivors were hosting a march in Washington, D.C., in Giuffre’s honor<\/strong><\/li>\n
- Giuffre was suffering from emotional and physical pain in the months before her death, her family told PEOPLE previously.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
<\/div>\nFollowing\u00a0Virginia Giuffre<\/a>\u2019s\u00a0death by suicide<\/a>, her family posted on social media a portion of a handwritten note she penned encouraging abuse survivors to fight for their rights.<\/p>\n
<\/div>\nIn Giuffre’s note, she wrote, “Mothers, Fathers, Sisters, and Brothers need to show the battle lines are drawn, and stand together to fight for the future of victims. Is protesting the answer? I don’t know. But we’ve got to start somewhere.”<\/p>\n
<\/div>\nGiuffre’s family found the note among her writings at her home, Giuffre’s spokeswoman tells PEOPLE, adding, “It’s not a final note.”<\/p>\n
<\/div>\nGiuffre, one of the most outspoken accusers of convicted sex offenders Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, died by suicide at age 41 at her farm outside Perth, Australia, on Thursday, April 24.<\/p>\n
<\/div>\nOn Tuesday, April 29, her sister-in-law Amanda Roberts, along with other family members including Giuffre\u2019s brother, Danny Wilson, posted the portion of the notes on Facebook.<\/p>\n
\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nThe family shared the note after learning that supporters and survivors including Strength Through Strides had met with senators at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., and held a march in Giuffre\u2019s honor.<\/p>\n
<\/div>\nThe family\u00a0wrote in the post<\/a>, \u201cHello world. we received news today that there’s a protest in DC. We found a handwritten note that our sister Virginia wrote.<\/p>\n
“I think it’s important that the survivors know that she’s with you and her voice will not be silenced. I know that it’s so important, and her wish is that we continue to fight.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n\n \n![\"Virginia](\"https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/mXoC3iBxi3mGZgwDRkN_kb-Y6UY=\/4000x0\/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(861x0:863x2):format(webp)\/Virginia-Giuffre-letter-043025-0cc220f0e38a459a898634b88eefb2fe.jpg\")
<\/div>\n<\/div>A portion of Virginia Giuffre’s handwritten notes.<\/span>Amanda Roberts\/Facebook<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n The spokeswoman said Giuffre and the march\u2019s organizers did not know each other and that the event had been planned before her death.<\/p>\n
<\/div>\nWhen Giuffre\u2019s family found out about the march, they felt it was \u201capt\u201d to post the encouraging note Giuffre had written, the spokeswoman tells PEOPLE.<\/p>\n
<\/div>\nAt the end of the post, her family wrote, \u201cTo all survivors and those protesting. We stand with you in solidarity and know the fight is not over!\u00a0#VirginiaRoberts<\/a>\u00a0#SurvivorStrong<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0#solidarity<\/a>\u00a0#soar<\/a>\u00a0#victory<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/div>\nSummer Willis,\u00a0<\/a>the organizer of the march and founder of\u00a0Strength Through Strides,<\/a>\u00a0a non-profit that supports sexual assault survivors, said she and those who joined her had a \u201cpowerful day\u201d meeting with senators at the U.S. Capitol to provide more protections for survivors at the Capitol. The day ended with a march to the Lincoln Memorial \u201cin honor of Virginia.\u201d<\/p>\n
Giuffre, Willis tells PEOPLE, \u201cwas the first advocate I ever saw speaking out. She gave me the courage to tell my own story.”<\/p>\n
<\/div>\nShe and the others became emotional when Giuffre’s family called Willis when they arrived at the Lincoln Memorial.<\/p>\n
“Everyone just stood around the phone as we listened to Virginia’s family and read us the note,” Willis tells PEOPLE. “They said thank you for carrying on her legacy. We were all crying.”<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n“I never got to thank Virginia,” she says. “But I can carry on her legacy and work for survivors in her honor.”<\/p>\n
<\/div>\nWillis and the others marched in honor of\u00a0Denim Day,<\/a>\u00a0which supports sexual assault survivors. Supporters wear denim to protest victim-blaming and shaming.<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\nWant to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for\u00a0<\/em>PEOPLE<\/a>‘s free True Crime newsletter<\/a>\u00a0for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n
<\/div>\nGiuffre was suffering from emotional and physical pain in the months before her death, her family told PEOPLE previously.<\/p>\n
\u201cEverything just accrues on top of one another,\u201d her sister-in-law, Amanda Roberts,\u00a0told PEOPLE in an exclusive interview<\/a>\u00a0on Saturday, April 26.<\/p>\n
\nIn the end, Roberts says, the weight of all of her burdens \u201cwas too much to carry.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/div>\nAs her family grieves, they are remembering Giuffre for her \u201cincredible courage\u201d by being one of the first victims to publicly come forward about Epstein and Maxwell.<\/p>\n
<\/div>\nConvicted in 2008 of soliciting minors for prostitution in Florida, Epstein died by suicide in 2019 in his jail cell at age 66 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges.<\/p>\n
<\/div>\nMaxwell, 63, is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for a 2021 child sex trafficking conviction in connection to Epstein.<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n\n \n![\"Summer](\"https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/9Lb3mupMAeioDxwXKFKGkAZg61s=\/4000x0\/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(749x0:751x2):format(webp)\/summer-willis-043025-1-0bbbb0f7e9e74368bc2671af53a35f07.jpg\")
<\/div>\n<\/div>Summer Willis.<\/span>Summer Willis<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n In 2021, Giuffre\u00a0sued<\/a>\u00a0Prince Andrew in New York. The two reached an\u00a0out-of-court settlement<\/a>\u00a0in February 2022 of an undisclosed amount.<\/p>\n
<\/div>\nWant to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for\u00a0<\/em>PEOPLE<\/a>‘s free True Crime newsletter<\/a>\u00a0for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n
<\/div>\nTo honor Giuffre\u2019s memory, the family will continue the work of\u00a0Speak Out, Act, Reclaim<\/a>\u00a0(SOAR), the non-profit she founded to support sexual assault survivors.<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n“She wished for all survivors to get justice,\u201d says Amanda. \u201cThat is who she was.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/div>\nIf you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988, text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741741 or go to\u00a0988lifeline.org<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n
<\/div>\nIf you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to\u00a0<\/em>rainn.org<\/em><\/strong><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n
- Giuffre’s family shared the note after learning that survivors and survivors were hosting a march in Washington, D.C., in Giuffre’s honor<\/strong><\/li>\n