Civil rights groups in Taiwan are calling for the 20-year statute of limitations for prosecuting crimes of sexual violence to be extended.
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00:00The civil rights group gathered at Taiwan's legislature,
00:03marking one year since the constitutional court pledged
00:05to review the pre-2006 Statute of Limitations for Violent Sex Crimes.
00:11They say not much has been done to protect survivors' rights,
00:14pointing to recent legislative changes
00:16that have rendered the court unable to function in recent months.
00:20They are now calling on lawmakers to take action instead.
00:23If the Legislative Yuan is more active,
00:26we should directly propose amendments to the legislation.
00:30We think this is a very good way.
00:34The groups have been joined by more than 40 survivors of sexual violence,
00:3814 of whom are initiating legal proceedings.
00:41Some say it took a long time to come forward
00:43because they were assaulted when they were very young.
00:46I've been on this road for 20 years.
00:49When I first encountered this,
00:51I couldn't think of anything.
00:54I was only 14 years old when I was assaulted.
00:57Government figures show that over a thousand complaints
01:00involving sexual assault allegations
01:02were dismissed over the past 19 years
01:05because the Statute of Limitations ran out.
01:07The groups and survivors gathered here say
01:09that justice is not being served.
01:11Don't let the law's pursuit flag
01:14become a tool to protect teachers.
01:17Let the victims have a chance to pursue justice.
01:22Time is now running out for many of the remaining survivors.
01:25They're urging those in power to act swiftly
01:27to ensure legal protections keep pace with their need
01:30to find redress for the crimes committed against them.
01:33Clang Wong and Sani Qi for Taiwan Plus.