Revision to Sexual Assault Prevention Act Announced: Statute of Limitations for Child Victims to Start at Age 20
Taiwan's Ministry of Health and Welfare announced proposed amendments to the 'Sexual Assault Prevention Act' and 'Child and Youth Sexual Exploitation Prevention Act.' The key change is that the statute of limitations for sexual offenses against minors will now begin to count from the victim's 20th birthday, aiming to protect the judicial rights of child and youth victims.
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- 📰 Published: May 10, 2026 at 19:51
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Central News Agency
(Central News Agency reporter Chen Chieh-ling, Taipei 10th) The Ministry of Health and Welfare announced proposed amendments to parts of the "Sexual Assault Prevention Act" and parts of the "Child and Youth Sexual Exploitation Prevention Act." These amendments will stipulate that the statute of limitations for sexual offense victims will start counting from the age of 20, allowing child and youth victims to still seek justice when they are mentally and physically mature.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare's Protection Services Division announced on the 8th proposed amendments to parts of the "Sexual Assault Prevention Act" and parts of the "Child and Youth Sexual Exploitation Prevention Act." These aim to align the statute of limitations for child and youth sexual exploitation cases with that of child and youth sexual assault cases, protecting victims' judicial rights. To facilitate prompt completion of the revision process, the public comment period is 30 days.
Kuo Tsai-jung, Director of the Ministry of Health and Welfare's Protection Services Division, stated today during a media interview that one of the key points of this revision is that for victims of sexual offenses who are minors, the period of prosecution under the Criminal Code will not be counted until they reach 20 years of age. This will align with the amendments to the Criminal Code. In practice, it is common to see cases where individuals, after growing up, strongly wish to file a lawsuit regarding events from their minor years, but find that the statute of limitations has already expired.
Kuo Tsai-jung said that this causes great harm to victims, and this revision meets the expectations of civil society groups and victims. Some individuals who experience sexual offenses suffer harm at a young age, but due to their youth and lack of awareness, they are unable to recognize that they have been sexually assaulted. It is only when they grow older and gradually understand more that they realize they were victimized.
Kuo Tsai-jung stated that perpetrators of sexual offenses are often adults familiar to the victims, and victims may also be constrained by power imbalances, dependency relationships, or other practical concerns, making them afraid to come forward. It is not until adulthood that they finally gather enough courage and strength to speak out and seek justice for themselves. This revision stipulates that for child and youth sexual exploitation offenses, the statute of limitations will not be counted until the victim reaches 20 years of age.
Kuo Tsai-jung pointed out that the calculation method for the statute of limitations is related to the provisions of the "Criminal Code" and the nature of the crime, but it does not always start counting from the moment the crime occurred. She gave an example: if a victim is harmed at age 15, and the statute of limitations for that crime is 6 years, the statute of limitations will start counting from age 20, and then extend for 6 years, expiring at age 26, rather than starting at age 15 and expiring at age 21.
In addition, this revision adds a third-party exemption for online operators, shortens the time limit for removing sexual images, and specifies mandatory content for administrative dispositions. Kuo Tsai-jung explained that under current conditions, there are clear time requirements for taking down sexual images. For unlawful sexual images and child and youth sexual images, website operators must complete removal within 24 hours of receiving notification; for private sexual images of adults, they must be taken down within 72 hours. These systems are all current practices, and this revision merely elevates them to the level of the parent law for explicit regulation, strengthening the legal basis. (Editor: Chen Ching-fang) 1150510
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(Central News Agency reporter Chen Chieh-ling, Taipei 10th) The Ministry of Health and Welfare announced proposed amendments to parts of the "Sexual Assault Prevention Act" and parts of the "Child and Youth Sexual Exploitation Prevention Act." These amendments will stipulate that the statute of limitations for sexual offense victims will start counting from the age of 20, allowing child and youth victims to still seek justice when they are mentally and physically mature.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare's Protection Services Division announced on the 8th proposed amendments to parts of the "Sexual Assault Prevention Act" and parts of the "Child and Youth Sexual Exploitation Prevention Act." These aim to align the statute of limitations for child and youth sexual exploitation cases with that of child and youth sexual assault cases, protecting victims' judicial rights. To facilitate prompt completion of the revision process, the public comment period is 30 days.
Kuo Tsai-jung, Director of the Ministry of Health and Welfare's Protection Services Division, stated today during a media interview that one of the key points of this revision is that for victims of sexual offenses who are minors, the period of prosecution under the Criminal Code will not be counted until they reach 20 years of age. This will align with the amendments to the Criminal Code. In practice, it is common to see cases where individuals, after growing up, strongly wish to file a lawsuit regarding events from their minor years, but find that the statute of limitations has already expired.
Kuo Tsai-jung said that this causes great harm to victims, and this revision meets the expectations of civil society groups and victims. Some individuals who experience sexual offenses suffer harm at a young age, but due to their youth and lack of awareness, they are unable to recognize that they have been sexually assaulted. It is only when they grow older and gradually understand more that they realize they were victimized.
Kuo Tsai-jung stated that perpetrators of sexual offenses are often adults familiar to the victims, and victims may also be constrained by power imbalances, dependency relationships, or other practical concerns, making them afraid to come forward. It is not until adulthood that they finally gather enough courage and strength to speak out and seek justice for themselves. This revision stipulates that for child and youth sexual exploitation offenses, the statute of limitations will not be counted until the victim reaches 20 years of age.
Kuo Tsai-jung pointed out that the calculation method for the statute of limitations is related to the provisions of the "Criminal Code" and the nature of the crime, but it does not always start counting from the moment the crime occurred. She gave an example: if a victim is harmed at age 15, and the statute of limitations for that crime is 6 years, the statute of limitations will start counting from age 20, and then extend for 6 years, expiring at age 26, rather than starting at age 15 and expiring at age 21.
In addition, this revision adds a third-party exemption for online operators, shortens the time limit for removing sexual images, and specifies mandatory content for administrative dispositions. Kuo Tsai-jung explained that under current conditions, there are clear time requirements for taking down sexual images. For unlawful sexual images and child and youth sexual images, website operators must complete removal within 24 hours of receiving notification; for private sexual images of adults, they must be taken down within 72 hours. These systems are all current practices, and this revision merely elevates them to the level of the parent law for explicit regulation, strengthening the legal basis. (Editor: Chen Ching-fang) 1150510
Choose to stand with facts; every sponsorship you provide is a force for safeguarding journalistic freedom.
Download the Central News Agency "First-Hand News" APP to stay updated with the latest news.
Text, images, and audio/video on this website may not be reproduced, publicly broadcast, publicly transmitted, or utilized without authorization.