No statute of limitations for the lifetime sentence of child sexual abuse

“What kind of justice system tells a survivor of child abuse that they’ve waited too long to speak?”

Child sexual abuse. I know your instinct is to look away. Please don’t. Instead, consider this: the average age of disclosure is not 10 or 11 years old, nor 18 or 19, it is 52.

Let that sink in. Fifty-two. In other words, child sexual abuse is a life sentence.

Statistics are important for policymakers, and the statistics are grim. According to estimates by the Childlight Global Safety Institute, ten children are abused every second worldwide. Even though the numbers can be shocking, they often obscure a crucial truth: child sexual abuse is deeply personal, invasive, and hidden.

A third of abused children never tell anyone. Some are overwhelmed by shame or guilt. Others fear they won't be believed. Many don’t know who to trust. Some do not even realise that what happened to them was abuse. The silence is not a choice - it’s a symptom of trauma. And that silence can last decades. If victims are condemned to a lifetime of suffering, how can we allow their abusers to escape accountability simply because time has passed?

The EPP Group insists on the complete abolition of limitation periods for prosecuting child abusers. Time should not wash away accountability. There should be no “safe zone” that begins when the clock runs out. Child abusers should never be allowed to retreat into the shadows of expired statutes. A life sentence for victims must mean a lifelong possibility of justice.

Time should not wash away accountability. There should be no “safe zone” that begins when the clock runs out. Child abusers should never be allowed to retreat into the shadows of expired statutes. A life sentence for victims must mean a lifelong possibility of justice.

Nor should abusers feel safe behind screens or synthetic images. The EPP Group welcomes, without reservation, the criminalisation of AI-generated child sexual abuse images - both the tools that generate them and the content itself. Let’s be clear: there is no such thing as a “victimless” image when it comes to child abuse. These digital creations based on real images, distort human dignity, reduce children to digital commodities, and embolden predators behind a veil of innovation.

We must also criminalise the atrocious “instruction manuals” that circulate in the darkest corners of the internet: step-by-step guides that provide tips on how to abuse children without leaving traces and how to evade detection. These are not mere words or thought experiments. They are premeditated roadmaps to ruin young lives. The very existence of such material is an insult to decency and a threat to every child. The EPP Group stands firm: those who produce, distribute or use these guides are complicit and must be held criminally accountable.

The abuse of children is as old as time. What is new is the technology that enables and facilitates it. But that does not mean we are helpless. We are not passive observers in the digital age. We have powerful tools at our disposal.

We can and must establish a legal framework that mandates functioning, well-resourced hotlines for reporting and rapid removal of abuse content. We must require internet service providers and platforms to take swift and uncompromising action to take down such material. We must work across borders with clarity and urgency.

We should also ensure that our laws contain a clear, unambiguous definition of consent - one that cannot be twisted or weaponised by those who exploit power imbalances. A child cannot consent to abuse. End of story.

Children cannot protect themselves from these crimes - it is our responsibility to protect them, and everyone must play their part. Let us build a legal system that reflects the lived reality of survivors: that the consequences of abuse don’t expire. And neither should justice.