The institution ultimately opted for a targeted advance rather than a general overhaul of the limitation rules applicable to crimes committed against children. In France, only crimes against humanity are today imprescriptible.
This bill constitutes the last major text of the five-year term devoted to childhood. Its scope has gradually broadened, moving from the reform of child welfare to the repression of violence committed against minors.
During the debates, several senators defended a broader version of the text. This would have extended the imprescriptibility to other serious crimes committed against minors, beyond just sexual offenses.
Supporters of the measure recalled that imprescriptibility does not guarantee a conviction. It only allows a complaint to be examined, even decades after the fact.
For the government, the choice has been made and the difficulties specific to the revelation of sexual violence must prevail over the obstacles traditionally opposed to imprescriptibility.
This provision was among the most anticipated points of the parliamentary review. The text was voted on by the deputies before being rejected by the law committee.