Overwhelming vote by MEPs to end time limits on prosecuting child abusers is a major step towards keeping children safe

STRASBOURG, 17 June 2025 – An overwhelming vote by the European Parliament today in favour of ending time limits for the prosecution of child abusers has been welcomed by leading children’s rights organisations as a major step towards keeping children safe.

MEPs voted 599 to 2 in favour of the proposed Directive by the European Commission. For the first time ever, MEPs voted to support abolishing time limits on the prosecution and reparation of such crimes across the European Union, as well as in favor of other vital legal updates.

Currently, survivors of childhood sexual violence are unable to seek justice in many EU countries because of statute of limitations laws, which limit how long after a certain crime a perpetrator can be prosecuted.

That’s despite many victims being so traumatised it takes them many years to be able to tell anyone about the abuse.

ECPAT International Executive Director Guillaume Landry said:

“With today’s vote, Europe has taken a historic stand for justice and the protection of children’s rights. For the first time ever, the European Parliament has voted to abolish the statute of limitations that prevent survivors of child sexual abuse to seek justice after an arbitrary period of time. This landmark move sends a powerful signal that Europe is serious about upholding its core values of human dignity and justice.  

Now, we urge the Member States in Council to take this momentum forward. Survivors have waited long enough. It is now the Council’s responsibility to ensure access to justice, regardless of time.”

Brave Movement member, survivor and activist Miguel Angel Hurtado Calvo said:

“It took me decades to be able to tell my story publicly. On average, survivors in Europe disclose when they are 52 years old. When they do, often they have no access to justice, due to predator-friendly, archaic, scientifically unsound statute of limitations legislation.

Now, for the first time, a parliament representing 450 million people has sent a clear message that complete statute of limitation abolition should be the new gold standard in child protection.

We also warmly welcome Jeroen Lenaers MEP’s speech in today’s debate, making clear the power of testimony from victims and survivors in informing this great step forward.

Now we need strong pressure from European civil society to ensure this directive is not watered down by Member States but instead comes fully into force across the whole European Union.”

Prof. Marci Hamilton, Co-Chair of The Global SOL Task Force and CEO of CHILD Global said:

“Child sex abuse prevention is only possible once we have opened the doors to justice for the victims. There are three reasons the elimination of the statute of limitations is so important: it identifies hidden predators; it validates the survivors; and it educates the public about individual and systemic abuse.  That knowledge will lead to a better world for everyone.”

Vinka Jackson, founder of Derecho al Tiempo, a civil organisation that successfully drove SOLs abolition in Chile said:

"From Latin America, we celebrate today’s advancement, given its potential impact beyond the European Union and radiating into our countries. As crimes of child sexual abuse and sexual exploitation transcend all borders and drastically increase with new technologies, the internet and AI, we know that more than ever we are in urgent need of comprehensive answers stemming from close and decisive international collaboration. This is the very reason the European Parliament vote is so immensely relevant and consequential."

As well as supporting the end of time limits on the prosecution of child abusers, MEPs also backed the criminalisation of so-called “instruction manuals” that facilitate abuse and livestreamed abuse as well as tougher punishments for sexual abuse of activities with children, recruiting children for exploitation in prostitution, grooming and possessing or distributing child sexual abuse material, including AI generated.

Over the next few months negotiation between the European  Commission, European Parliament and Council (the body where EU member states are represented) will seek to agree on a common, final position on the EU-wide directive.

ECPAT International and the Brave Movement are working jointly to overturn statutes of limitations for sexual crimes against children through their Timeless Justice campaign.

Backed by survivor testimonies, expert perspectives from justice professionals, and a growing online movement, Timeless Justice demands urgent legal reform, ensuring that access to justice is not bound by deadlines but guided by the rights and needs of survivors.

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For more information, please contact

• Martina Fontana at [email protected]
• Marek Pruszewicz at [email protected]