Women across France are uniting to demand an end to the 20-year statute of limitations that has barred many victims of sexual assault from accessing justice.
A coalition called Survivors' Voices, numbering more than 50 women, announced at a press conference that the rule— which allows only a decade for adults and 30 for minors to file complaints— renders their crimes “dead” simply because of the date.
The group taps high‑profile cases to illustrate the problem, including assertions of rape by model agent Jean‑Luc Brunel, the dead former business partner of the convicted financier Jeffrey Epstein, and allegations against billionaire Mohammed Al Fayed.
One complainant, Thysia Husiman, claims she was raped at 18 in Paris by Brunel, who was later found hanged in La Santé prison in 2022 while awaiting trial for the rape of minors and trafficking of children.
Another story centers on former BBC producer Lisa Brinkworth, who says she was sexually assaulted while working undercover to expose exploitation in the fashion industry. She filed her complaint only in 2021— ten years after the alleged act— after a BBC‑controlled agreement with Elite Models barred her from speaking publicly about the incident.
Brinkworth's case was dismissed in France because the statute of limitations had elapsed, and the BBC has denied her access to the raw footage that she claims contains essential evidence. She now seeks a hearing at the European Court of Human Rights.
The survivors urge lawmakers to abolish the time limit, arguing that “rape does not expire, trauma does not expire,” and that the legal restriction undermines justice and reinforces silence.
