'I thought no one would believe me': Survivors of family sexual abuse call for end to statute of limitations
Published: 09 Jul. 2025, 07:00
![Survivors and activists hold placards calling for the abolition of the statute of limitations on familial sexual violence in front of Kyobo Bookstore's Gwanghwamun branch in Jongno District, central Seoul, on June 28. [OH SO-YEONG]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/07/09/3a2a7d65-e34d-45a8-b258-93011e055f8d.jpg)
Survivors and activists hold placards calling for the abolition of the statute of limitations on familial sexual violence in front of Kyobo Bookstore's Gwanghwamun branch in Jongno District, central Seoul, on June 28. [OH SO-YEONG]
"I was sexually assaulted by my father from the age of eight until high school. I never told anyone because I thought no one would believe me. It took me 18 years to finally speak out like this."
These were the words of one protester who joined a rally on June 28 calling for the complete abolition of the statute of limitations on familial sexual violence. The protester was one of 23 participants who held placards near Gwanghwamun in central Seoul. It marked the first time that multiple survivors gathered in public, six years after a national petition on the issue was first submitted.
Under Article 20, Section 3 of the Act on the Protection of Children and Youth Against Sex Offenses, crimes involving familial sexual violence "against a person under 13 years of age or a person with a physical or mental disability" have no statute of limitations.
However, for victims aged 13 to 18, the statute of limitations is 10 years from the day they become legal adults. In practice, this means a victim who was assaulted at the age of 13 would have until they turn 29 to pursue legal action, after which prosecution becomes nearly impossible.
One survivor in her 50s, who submitted the petition to the Blue House on June 24, 2019, said she was assaulted by their father from the age of eight for about a decade. She came to terms with her trauma only in her late 40s, long after the statute of limitations had expired.
“It’s been six years since I filed the petition, but nothing has changed,” she wrote. “Only by abolishing the statute of limitations can survivors truly begin to heal.”
![An emblem of the police [YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/07/09/5c3c9d78-3cb6-4b49-a66a-24de93e14649.jpg)
An emblem of the police [YONHAP]
Trauma leads to memory dissociation
Survivors frequently struggle with delayed recognition of the abuse and take years to come forward. Some experience dissociative amnesia due to trauma. This is why many argue that the 10-year statute of limitations for victims aged 13 to 18 is too short.
“In the beginning, I couldn’t tell if what was happening was real or a dream,” the protester said. “It wasn’t until adulthood that I realized it had all been real. I left home at 22 because I couldn’t even bear to see my father’s face. It took me 18 years to accept what had happened and to speak up. Legal action requires financial means, which I don’t have. To me, a 10-year limit feels like being robbed of the opportunity to seek justice.”
“The trauma caused me to forget the incident for a while,” said another victim, who was assaulted by a cousin on military leave during high school. She recalled that the memory resurfaced around the age of 26 during an unrelated counseling session. “When I told my family, they said it was in the past and I should forget about it.”
After a prolonged struggle, she eventually cut ties with her family and found herself in her 30s before fully confronting the experience.
According to the Korea Sexual Violence Relief Center, over half of the victims who sought counseling for familial sexual violence between 2022 and 2024 did so only after the statute of limitations had passed. A 2020 study by U.S.-based advocacy group Child USA found that the average age at which survivors disclosed childhood sexual abuse was 52.
![An image of a statue of Justitia, the goddess of justice [KOREA JOONGANG DAILY]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/07/09/3075cb7d-29d4-4e38-a349-c90e2c1e1ea2.jpg)
An image of a statue of Justitia, the goddess of justice [KOREA JOONGANG DAILY]
Reconsidering the statute of limitations
Advocates have long called for the elimination of the statute of limitations on familial sexual violence, citing its unique characteristics.
“In Korea’s patriarchal society, reporting a parent can be unthinkable, and secondary victimization by other family members silences survivors even further,” said Heo Min-sook, a researcher at the National Assembly Research Service. “The statute of limitations for familial sexual violence involving minors should be completely abolished. Civil statutes of limitations, such as the deadline for seeking damages, also need to be revisited.”
“Minors aged 13 and older are still vulnerable and in need of protection,” said attorney Jang Yun-mi of the Korean Women Lawyers Association. “Publicly disclosing abuse often means losing one’s sense of safety within the family. Crimes involving children and sexual abuse require special consideration and should be exempt from statutes of limitations.”
Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY OH SO-YEONG [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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