France's Senate passes child protection bill after voting to end time limit on child rape cases

France's Senate on Tuesday passed the government's child protection bill by 260 votes to 1, after a week of debate in which senators voted to end the time limit on prosecuting sexual crimes against minors. In France today, only crimes against humanity can be prosecuted at any time, however long ago they took place.

The Senate's own summary of the bill says it adopted the text "with amendments" on November 3 and that a joint committee of both chambers, known as a CMP, "will meet shortly." The National Assembly passed its own version earlier. The two chambers now have to settle several points on which they disagree, including the time limit itself.

The bill is a priority for Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin and for the government of Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu. It covers background checks for adults who work with children, new protective orders, harsher sentences for repeat offenders, and changes to the child welfare system that looks after more than 380,000 children. Quotations from French-language sources are 567politics translations.

The final vote

According to Public Sénat, the Senate's parliamentary news channel, the text passed with 260 votes for and 1 against. The Socialist group and the Communist-led CRCE-K group abstained. The trade publication ASH, which covers social work, reported the same result.

Speaking for the Socialists before the vote, Hussein Bourgi said his group would make proposals to fund child welfare in the 2027 budget debates. "What bothers us most is this text's lack of ambition," he said. "We will abstain." Marie-Claude Varaillas announced the same for the CRCE-K group. Public Sénat says the child welfare sector is short of an estimated 30,000 professionals. Senators from the centrist and independent groups, including Olivia Richard and Marc Laménie, spoke during the final debate. The RDPI group, which is close to President Emmanuel Macron, backed key parts of the text.

The Catholic outlet Aleteia called the result a near-unanimous vote. It reported that the joint committee is expected to meet early in 2027.

The vote on ending the time limit

The most watched vote came on October 28. On that day the Senate, led by Gérard Larcher, adopted a set of identical amendments making rape of minors imprescriptible. That means a suspect could be charged at any time, however long ago the crime took place.

The official record of the October 28 sitting shows that 338 senators took part in the public ballot, numbered 43. Of the 332 votes cast, 252 were for and 80 against. Public Sénat counted six abstentions. The amendments came from several groups at once, including one by centrist senator Annick Billon. The government tabled an identical amendment of its own.

The vote went against the Senate's law committee. Its two rapporteurs, Agnès Canayer of the center-right Les Républicains (LR) and Dominique Vérien of the centrist UC group, had removed the provision when the committee rewrote the bill. Public Sénat reported that the LR group split, with 50 senators for and 70 against.

Under current law, the clock on rape of a minor runs for 30 years from the victim's 18th birthday. A victim can therefore file a complaint until about age 48. Since a 2021 law, a "sliding" rule also applies. If the same person later abuses another child, the time limit for the first crime is extended to match the new one. ASH reports that the Senate version covers rape and procuring of minors.

Recorded votes during the debate

The Senate voted on several disputed points during the week. Some were close. The chart shows the main recorded or reported votes.

• For
• Against

Final passage (Nov. 3)

260

1

Imprescriptibility (ballot 43)

252

80

Child safety order (ballot 42)

171

170

Emergency placement amendment

144

198

Early notice to employers amendment

108

217

Source: Sénat, record of Oct. 28 sitting, Public Sénat

Show the numbers

Vote	For	Against
Final passage (Nov. 3)	260	1
Imprescriptibility (ballot 43)	252	80
Child safety order (ballot 42)	171	170
Emergency placement amendment	144	198
Early notice to employers amendment	108	217

The child safety order passed by a single vote. Public Sénat reported that the government's amendment on emergency placement of children was rejected by 198 votes to 144. A proposal to inform an employer as soon as a staff member was questioned by police was rejected by 217 to 108.

The case for ending the time limit

Darmanin argued in the October 28 debate that "the singular nature of crimes committed against children justifies particular treatment." Aurore Bergé, the minister for equality between women and men, put the case in terms of victims. "We tell victims, 'speak up,'" she said, but the law tells them that "if you do not speak at the right moment, it is too late."

Billon told senators that "eighteen states have already removed these time limits, including Belgium." Public Sénat reported that she said dropping the measure for legal reasons would mean "turning our backs on victims." LR senator Agnès Evren said some victims need 40 years to speak.

Xavier Iacovelli, who leads the RDPI group, said: "Time must never become the accomplice of impunity." Green senator Guillaume Gontard cited the Bétharram school abuse scandal, in which, Public Sénat noted, time limits had blocked prosecutions. The government limited its support to sexual crimes. Darmanin and Bergé said a wider change risked being struck down by the Constitutional Council.

The case for keeping it

The law committee's leaders argued that time limits protect the quality of justice. Vérien warned of a slippery slope. "Voting for imprescriptibility for one crime is, in time, voting for imprescriptibility for all crimes," she said. Committee chair Muriel Jourda said prescription exists because time erases evidence and because "society must find peace."

The committee's written report sets out the case in detail. It says the change "would mark a major break with our legal tradition" and would blur the special status of crimes against humanity. It says the practical effect would be limited, since the time limit already runs 30 years from adulthood and can slide further if the offender strikes again. The reform also could not reopen cases where the time limit has already run out.

The report adds that "the decay of evidence" harms both the chance of a conviction and the rights of the defense. It says one exception "could call for others" as society changes. It also notes that victims can still bring a civil claim, which follows different time rules. LR senator Dimitri Doussot called imprescriptibility a "false good idea."

The case for going further

Some on the left wanted the change to cover more crimes. The CRCE-K group filed amendment 351, led by Varaillas. It would have ended the time limit for a wider list of crimes against minors, including murder, torture and kidnapping, and for civil claims linked to them. The group cited the 2023 report of the independent commission on incest and sexual violence against children, known as CIIVISE, which backed imprescriptibility. The amendment fell once the narrower text was adopted. The government said a wider list risked censure by the Constitutional Council.

Background checks and new orders

Much of the bill is less disputed. According to Public Sénat, it requires checks of an adult's criminal record at least once a year for people who work with children. The Senate extended these checks to school transport staff, in an amendment named after the serial killer Émile Louis, who was a school bus driver. It also added convictions for cruelty to animals to the list of offenses that bar someone from working with children.

Employers who fail to carry out the checks would face up to two years in prison and a €30,000 fine. Health Minister Stéphanie Rist told senators the checks would be rolled out in stages through the end of 2029.

The Senate also created a child safety order modeled on orders that protect victims of domestic violence. A prosecutor would have to act within 24 hours and a children's judge would rule within 15 days. The order would last 12 months and could be renewed. Breaking it would carry up to three years in prison and a €45,000 fine. Darmanin and RDPI senator Xavier Iacovelli backed the measure.

Tougher sentences and faster action

The text sets life imprisonment for serial rape of children under 15. It also creates a 30-year sentence for serial rapists of children over 15 when several aggravating factors apply, according to the Senate summary. The Senate rejected an Assembly provision that would have changed the rules on combining sentences.

The bill requires that people suspected of crimes against minors be questioned within three months, unless the needs of the investigation stand in the way. The government restored this provision against the committee's wishes. Public Sénat and Aleteia linked it to the case of a girl named Lyhanna, whose death drew national attention.

Against the government's advice, senators also adopted an amendment by Evren that lets the administration consult the police criminal records database known as TAJ when checking staff. Public Sénat listed this as one of two disagreements with the executive during the debate.

Changes to child welfare

The bill also changes the child welfare system, known as ASE. Public Sénat puts the number of children it supports at 392,600. The Senate's own summary says more than 380,000. The state would take over the national 119 child abuse hotline on January 1, 2028. Children in care would be able to open a bank account at 14.

The Senate set the period after which a child can be declared abandoned at eight months, against six in the Assembly version. It also added a rule that frees a child who was abandoned by a parent from any later duty to support that parent.

Next step: a joint committee

The joint committee will bring together seven deputies and seven senators to agree on one text. If they agree, both chambers vote again. If they do not, the Assembly normally has the last word. Public Sénat lists the open points: the abandonment period, the combining of sentences, access to the TAJ database and emergency placement. The Assembly had first added the end of the time limit, so both versions now include it.

For comparison, Germany's government is also changing its rules on sex crimes and time limits. See our story on Justice Minister Stefanie Hubig's draft law. Our France country guide explains how the two chambers of Parliament share power. Our methodology page explains how we report votes and translate quotes.

Differing perspectives

Should France end the time limit on prosecuting serious crimes against children?

Each position is summarized as its supporters make it, with equal weight and in alphabetical order. A summary is not an endorsement; the evidence for each is weighed in the story above.

• End the limit for sexual crimes against minors

  Who holds it: The government, Senator Annick Billon and senators who backed the amendment

  Supporters say victims of sexual abuse in childhood often need decades before they can speak, and that time limits have blocked prosecutions in cases such as Bétharram. They note that other countries, including Belgium, have already removed such limits, and argue that time must never become an ally of impunity. The government limited the change to sexual crimes.

  In their words: Public Sénat ↗

• Go further, to more crimes and civil claims

  Who holds it: The Communist-led CRCE-K group

  The group's amendment would have ended the time limit for a wider list of serious crimes against minors, including murder, torture and kidnapping, and for civil claims for damages linked to them. It cites the 2023 report of the independent commission on incest and sexual violence against children, and argues that the current sliding rule leaves victims dependent on other people's complaints.

  In their words: French Senate, amendment 351 ↗

• Keep the current long time limits

  Who holds it: The Senate law committee

  The committee argues that ending the limit would be a major break with French legal tradition, which reserves it for crimes against humanity. It says the 30-year limit after the victim turns 18, with a sliding rule for repeat offenders, already reaches most cases. Decaying evidence harms both prosecutions and the defense, and one exception could invite others.

  In their words: French Senate law committee report ↗