'There should be no safe zone for child sex abusers'

THIS week the European Parliament passed a new law that will outlaw Al-generated child sex abuse material.

- MARIA WALSH

The legislation also does away with any statute of limitations in terms of bringing historic allegations to court. Here, MEP MARIA WALSH, who worked on the new bill, explains why it is needed in a world where 10 children are abused every second somewhere in the world.

"WHAT kind of justice system tells a survivor of child abuse that they've waited too long to speak?"

Child sexual abuse. I know your instinct is to look away. Please don't. Instead, consider this: the average age of disclosure is not 10 or 11 years old, nor 18 or 19, it is 52.

Let that sink in. Fifty-two years. Over five decades. In other words, child sexual abuse is a life sentence.

Statistics are important for policymakers, and these statistics are grim. According to estimates by the Childlight Global Safety Institute, ten children are abused every second worldwide.

Even though the numbers can be shocking, they often obscure a crucial truth: child sexual abuse is deeply personal, invasive, and hidden.

A third of abused children never tell anyone. Some are overwhelmed by shame or guilt. Others fear they won't be believed. Many don't know who to trust. Some do not even realise that what happened to them was abuse.