00:00Time bars justice for child sexual abuse victims across the EU.
00:09Child sexual abuse is widespread in the EU with one in five children affected.
00:14For many survivors, speaking out can take decades.
00:18Victims file their criminal reports when they are 52 on average, if they choose to disclose at all.
00:25For many, it means that the clock of justice has already run out because the statute of limitations has expired, burying them from pressing charges.
00:34The legislative picture in the EU is extremely fragmented, which creates what's been defined as a postcode lottery for victims who want to seek justice.
00:45In countries like Belgium, Hungary and Denmark, limitation periods have been abolished for most, if not all, cases of child sexual abuse.
00:53Others have only removed it for the most serious offences.
00:57In the rest of the EU, limitation periods still apply to all child sexual offences.
01:03In some of these countries, however, the clock doesn't start ticking until the victim reaches adulthood.
01:08In Germany, the most serious crimes can be prosecuted till the victim turns 60.
01:14In Spain, the limit is 55, 48 in France and 46 in Italy.
01:18Other countries like Finland, Slovakia and Bulgaria have been classified as the least safe in this sense as the limitation period starts the moment the crime is committed.
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