Survivors of Sexual Violence Demand End to France’s Statute of Limitations for Rape Cases

A collective of women who have alleged rape and sexual assault in France are demanding the complete abolition of the statute of limitations, arguing that current legal time limits are an obstacle to achieving criminal justice.

In an unprecedented move, more than 50 women have united to call for legislative change. The group includes victims who have made allegations against high-profile figures, including Jeffrey Epstein, his former associate Jean-Luc Brunel, and billionaire Mohammed Al Fayed.

Under existing French law, adult victims have a 20-year window to report sexual assault or rape, while those who were minors at the time of the crime have a 30-year limit from the date of the offense.

Speaking at a press conference, the collective—known as “Survivors’ Voices”—stated that these restrictions leave victims feeling as though their suffering is dismissed “simply because of the date” the crimes took place. “Rape doesn’t expire, trauma doesn’t expire,” stated Thysia Husiman, who alleges she was raped by Jean-Luc Brunel in Paris when she was 18.

Brunel was found dead in his cell at La Santé prison in 2022 while being held on suspicion of trafficking and raping minors.

Among the collective is former BBC producer Lisa Brinkworth, who is now taking her case to the European Court of Human Rights. Brinkworth claims she was sexually assaulted by Elite Model Management boss Gerald Marie in 1998 while working undercover for a BBC investigative series. Because she did not report the assault until 2021, French courts dismissed her case, ruling that the 20-year statute of limitations had expired.

Despite two appeals, including one to France’s highest court, Brinkworth’s case was rejected. She claims that at the time of the assault, she was discouraged from reporting the incident by BBC staff to avoid embarrassing the corporation and disrupting the production of the high-profile documentary.

Brinkworth further alleged that senior team members denied her access to evidence gathered during the investigation, which would have been critical to her case.

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