Crimes against minors: Aurore Bergé wants to reintroduce their imprescriptibility in the Senate

The Minister of Equality between Women and Men, Aurore Bergé, announced Tuesday that she would table on behalf of the government an amendment to restore the imprescriptibility of crimes against minors, as part of the discussion in session in the Senate of the bill on the protection of children.

This very symbolic measure, voted on this summer in the National Assembly despite doubts about its conformity with the Constitution, was rejected in committee last week by the senators. “I am going to propose on behalf of the government an amendment to restore imprescriptibility,” declared Aurore Bergé on Public Senate.

The bill planned to make certain violent or sexual crimes committed against minors imprescriptible. In addition to the crimes of murder, torture or acts of barbarity or rape, the following were concerned: reduction into slavery, kidnapping and sequestration, pimping or even endangering the health of a minor.

A delay considered insufficient for the victims

Currently, a victim of rape occurring in childhood can file a complaint up to the age of 48, the limitation period being 30 years from the age of majority, a period considered insufficient by certain child protection associations. “We must listen to the victims, we must start from them, from their expectations and their needs. Today, the whole of society is telling them, 'we need to talk'. But once they have found the courage and the strength to speak, when they do not speak quickly enough, (...) we tell them it is too late,” argued the minister. “This falling ax is additional violence for the victims,” she added.