More than 50 women who allege they have been victims of rape and sexual assault in France are collectively calling for the abolition of the statute of limitations, arguing that current legal time limits prevent them from seeking justice. The group, known as Survivors' Voices, stated that the restriction of reporting their assaults makes them feel their cases are dismissed due to the date of occurrence.
"Rape doesn't expire, trauma doesn't expire," said Thysia Husiman, who alleges she was raped in Paris at age 18 by Jean-Luc Brunel, a former model agent. Brunel died in prison in 2022 while awaiting trial on suspicion of raping and trafficking minors.
Under current French law, there is a 20-year statute of limitations for adults reporting sexual assault or rape, and a 30-year limit from the date of the crime if the victim was a minor.
Former BBC producer Lisa Brinkworth is pursuing her case of alleged sexual assault by Gerald Marie, former head of Elite Model Management, in the European Court of Human Rights. Brinkworth posed as a model in a 1998 BBC documentary to expose abuse in the fashion industry and reported her allegation to police in 2021. Her case against Marie was dismissed because it exceeded the 20-year statute of limitations.
Brinkworth stated that she was advised not to report the assault at the time due to the sensitive nature of the high-profile television documentary she was involved in. She also claimed that evidence gathered during the filming was withheld from her by senior members of the production team. After two appeals, including one to France's highest court, her case was deemed outside the statute of limitations and could not proceed.