A statute of limitations is a law that sets the amount of time (usually specified in years) that a victim has to come forward and report a crime before prosecution is no longer possible. Applied to sexual violence cases, statutes of limitations add an additional roadblock to access justice for victims.

Key recommendations

The information in this factsheet is largely derived from the report titled Failure to Protect: How Discriminatory Sexual Violence Laws and Practices are Hurting Women, Girls, and Adolescents in the Americas, published by Equality Now in September 2021. Please refer to the report for further information on these laws, as well as a full list of recommendations.

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28 يناير 2026

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Statute of limitations

Key recommendations

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I need the ERA because… online abuse can lead to offline harm

I need the ERA because… inequality harms everyone, including men

Urgent action needed to eradicate female genital mutilation in Colombia

Statute of limitations

Key recommendations

About

Languages

Classification

More information

Explore more resources

I need the ERA because… online abuse can lead to offline harm

I need the ERA because… inequality harms everyone, including men

Urgent action needed to eradicate female genital mutilation in Colombia

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