The president of Costa Rica, Carlos Alvarado, signed on Tuesday a law promoted by alleged victims of a priest, extending the statute of limitations in cases of sexual abuse for minors.
The so-called “ley de derecho al tiempo” (“law of the right to time“) extends the statute of limitations in cases of sexual abuse of children from 10 to 25 years after the victim reaches the age of majority.
“By strengthening the protection of minors, this law allows timely access to justice and compensation for damage,” said the president when ratifying the reform of the Criminal Procedure Code.
The reform was prompted by two men who denounced a Catholic priest for having sexually abused them when they served as altar boys as teenagers.
“Because victims of sexual abuse deserve time to heal, to cleanse their souls and their minds, when they find the courage in their hearts to denounce, they also find the tools that give them justice,” Anthony Venegas, one of the promoters of the bill.
The so-called “ley de derecho al tiempo” (“law of the right to time“) extends the statute of limitations in cases of sexual abuse of children from 10 to 25 years after the victim reaches the age of majority.
“By strengthening the protection of minors, this law allows timely access to justice and compensation for damage,” said the president when ratifying the reform of the Criminal Procedure Code.
The reform was prompted by two men who denounced a Catholic priest for having sexually abused them when they served as altar boys as teenagers.
“Because victims of sexual abuse deserve time to heal, to cleanse their souls and their minds, when they find the courage in their hearts to denounce, they also find the tools that give them justice,” Anthony Venegas, one of the promoters of the bill.
