Shocking statistic: One in five European children victim of sexual abuse

Pars Today – Recent reports by organizations such as UNICEF, the Council of Europe, the European Commission, and non-governmental organizations including Childlight and ECLAG show that the crisis of child sexual abuse in Europe remains severe.

A new report has called on all EU member states to abolish statutes of limitations for prosecuting sexual crimes against children, or at least to significantly extend them. According to Pars Today, child sexual abuse is widespread across the European Union, affecting one in every five children. For many victims, disclosure can take decades.

According to a new joint report by the Brave Movement and Child Global, victims on average file their criminal reports at the age of 52—if they decide to disclose at all.

This means that when they come forward, the clock of justice may have already stopped, as the statute of limitations (SOL) may have expired, preventing prosecution.

The legal landscape across the European Union is highly fragmented. A few countries have completely abolished statutes of limitations for most or all child sexual abuse crimes, while elsewhere there is no “breathing space,” and the clock starts running from the moment the crime occurs.

Countries such as Austria, Croatia, Estonia, Latvia, Luxembourg, Poland, Slovenia, Sweden, and Romania have abolished the statute of limitations only for the most severe crimes, while retaining it for other child sexual abuse–related offenses.

For example, in Slovenia, the statute of limitations for a victim to report experiences of child sexual trafficking is only six years.

In the rest of the EU, time limits still apply to all offenses. However, in some of these countries, the limitation period does not begin until the victim reaches adulthood.

In Germany, the most serious crimes can be prosecuted until the victim reaches the age of 60; in Spain until 55, in France until 48, and in Italy until 46.

The reports classify countries such as Finland, Bulgaria, Lithuania, and Slovakia as having the lowest level of protection in this regard, as they provide the shortest time frames for survivors to file complaints.

For example, in Finland, the statute of limitations is 20 years from the date of the crime. However, for most offenses, the law states that the right to file a complaint cannot expire before the victim turns 28, and can be extended up to the age of 38.

In Lithuania, the statute of limitations is 25 years for the most severe crimes, and 15, 12, and 8 years for mid-level offenses, with a minimum of 7 years. In any case, the statute of limitations in Lithuania cannot expire before the victim turns 25.

In Bulgaria, the maximum limitation period is 20 years, and unlike Finland, Lithuania, and Slovakia, there is no minimum age threshold. As a result, if someone is abused at the age of three, they lose the right to file a complaint at the age of 24.