Policy brief: Statute of limitations & access to justice

As governments prepare new ministerial commitments, the opportunity to strengthen survivor-centered justice systems has never been more urgent.

Key priorities for immediate action include:

• Justice delayed should not become justice denied.
• Restrictive statutes of limitations must not prevent survivors from accessing accountability and healing.
• Delayed disclosure should be recognized as a documented trauma response, not a barrier to justice.
• Survivor participation must be integrated into legal reform and accountability processes.
• Governments must strengthen investment in forensic systems, judicial capacity, and survivor support services.
• Institutional concealment and systemic impunity must be addressed through enforceable accountability mechanisms.
• Trauma-informed and child rights-based approaches should guide all justice system reforms addressing violence against children.

Trauma does not operate on legal timelines. Trauma has no expiry date. Neither should justice.

Protecting survivors’ access to justice is not optional. It is a legal, moral, and human rights imperative