Estonia mulls extending statute of limitations for crimes against children
The Ministry of Justice has developed a plan to extend the period of time a victim of child abuse can report a crime against them from the current 10-years to 32 years or until the victim turns 50 years old.
The plan has been developed by the Ministry of Justice and Digital Affairs, and is aimed at stopping the statute of limitations from expiring before a victim is ready to report the act to the police.
The current limit is 10 years from reaching adulthood, which some consider to be too short.
The new limit would give a victim a time limit of up to 32 years or until they reach 50 years of age to file a police report in the case of the most serious crimes.
Minister of Justice and Digital Affairs Liisa Pakosta (Eesti 200) said. "No case is easy, but where the circumstances are somewhat less serious, the limitation period would be 20 or 15 years."
The minister added that it is assumed that by the age of 50, a person has reached a point where they can file a report with the police should they want to.
Pakosta said on the radio programme "Uudis+" on Wednesday that a large proportion of sexual offences are committed by people close to children, such as a family member or close relative. This can make it difficult to report any crime out of fear or shame.
The changes would lead to tougher penalties for paedophiles.
Only the perpetrator should feel shame
In March, a citizens' initiative petition was signed by more than 13,000 people calling for no limit to be placed on prosecuting sexual offences against children.
Pakosta said she did not agree with the statement, but believes the current limit should be significantly extended.
"If we look at other member states in Europe, they usually have long limitation periods and offences with no limitation period are practically nonexistent," she said.
She encouraged reports to be made as soon as possible. "The more time passes since the offence, the fewer pieces of evidence there are and the fewer living people remain who are still able to give testimony," she explained.
Pakosta also said victims should not feel ashamed: "The only person who should feel shame is the one who committed the act."
The minister said that filing a false complaint is punishable and that a person is innocent until proven guilty.
Preparations for drafting the bill will begin soon, and it is hoped to pass before next spring, when the government's term in office ends.
--
Follow ERR News on Facebook and Twitter and never miss an update!
Editor: Helen Wright, Merilin Leetna, Johannes Voltri
Source: Uudis+"
