02/25/2026
For too long, survivors of sexual abuse in America have been told the same thing: it's too late. Your chance for justice has expired. Now, Democrats in Congress, along with survivors of Jeffrey Epstein's abuse and the family of the late Virginia Giuffre, are trying to change that by introducing "Virginia's Law." This new bill would permanently eliminate the statute of limitations on federal civil sexual abuse and trafficking cases because, as co-sponsor Representative Teresa Leger Fernández (D-NM) asserted, "Time should never be a weapon in an abuser's arsenal."
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer introduced the bill on the Senate floor on February 10, alongside Leger Fernández, chair of the Democratic Women's Caucus. "When the truth of Jeffrey Epstein finally started to come out, when the world finally started to listen to their stories, oftentimes the laws on the books said, 'Sorry, it's too late. The deadline to bring your case has passed,'" Schumer said. "Virginia's Law will change that, because justice for victims of abuse should not have an expiration date."
The legislation is named after Virginia Giuffre, one of the most prominent survivors of Epstein's abuse, who died last year after years of fighting to hold Epstein and his associates accountable for trafficking her as a teenager. Her brother, Sky Roberts, spoke through tears at the Capitol press conference. "Virginia's dream was to inspire and empower survivors to come forward in a world that too often turns away from abuse and pushes it into the shadows," he said. "She wanted to bring light."
Under current federal law, adult survivors of sexual abuse must file civil claims within 10 years -- a window that experts say routinely closes before survivors are ready to face the legal system.
"Ten years after the person turns 18, which is nothing, right?" said Cate Carbonaro, executive director of the nonprofit The Retreat. "Twenty-eight, and maybe you were abused at 7, and maybe you come to terms with it at 30, maybe 40. So 10 years is nothing."
Virginia's Law would eliminate that deadline entirely and permanently, create new federal civil causes of action for survivors of trafficking and sexual exploitation, and include a one-year lookback provision giving survivors who were previously told their time had expired a new window to bring claims.
It would also close a jurisdictional loophole that has allowed abusers to evade accountability by taking victims across borders. "You don't get to escape prosecution by simply putting predators and victims on a plane to a private island or a mansion in Florida or a ranch in New Mexico," said Leger Fernández, whose district includes Epstein's notorious 10,000-acre Zorro Ranch outside Santa Fe.
According to the Justice Department, Epstein abused at least 1,000 women and children starting as early as 1985, targeting girls as young as 13. Rebecca Zipkin, policy director of the anti-trafficking coalition World Without Exploitation, put it plainly at the press conference: "Trafficking is not a single moment of harm. It is a prolonged, coercive and deeply traumatizing experience."
Skeptics who wonder whether removing the deadline would make a difference need only look at New York. In 2022, the state enacted the Adult Survivors Act -- a one-year window that allowed adult survivors of sexual assault to file civil suits regardless of when the abuse occurred.
Before the window closed in November 2023, more than 3,000 lawsuits were filed, including writer E. Jean Carroll's landmark sexual abuse and defamation case against Donald Trump -- in which a jury found Trump liable for sexually abusing Carroll and ordered him to pay $5 million in damages, followed by a second jury verdict of $83.3 million for defaming her after she came forward.
Virginia's Law would make that principle permanent at the federal level. However, the bill faces an uncertain path through a Republican-controlled Congress. No Republican co-sponsors have signed on, and no vote has been scheduled in either the Senate or the House. But Schumer has pointed to precedent, noting that the Epstein Files Transparency Act passed both chambers in a single day with near-unanimous support. "Congress should pass this law immediately," he said. "There is no good reason to delay."
Leger Fernández, for her part, did not mince words about the administration's posture toward the broader Epstein investigation. She criticized Trump and Attorney General Bondi for using the Department of Justice "to prevent justice, to protect yourself and that predatory circle of abusers."
She recalled what one survivor told her during meetings last fall about what Epstein used to say to the women and girls he controlled: "Jeffrey told them, 'I have the government. I have the banks.' In other words, you are powerless."
Virginia's Law, its sponsors argue, is an answer to that powerlessness. "No survivor should ever be told again that the law failed them," Schumer said, "and that time mattered more than truth."
--> Here's what you can do to support this important proposed law: Contact your members of Congress (202) 224-3121 and tell them to co-sponsor and support Virginia's Law to eliminate the statute of limitations for federal civil sexual abuse and trafficking cases.
- The bill is S-3815 in the Senate and H.R. 7467 in the House. Remind them that protecting survivors of sexual abuse is not a partisan issue.
To read more about Virginia Roberts Giuffre's story in her powerful memoir "Nobody’s Girl: A Memoir of Surviving Abuse and Fighting for Justice," visit https://amzn.to/4nZbSAZ (Amazon) and https://bookshop.org/a/8011/9780593493120 (Bookshop)
Raising kids to have empathy for others and an understanding of consent is one of the most important things parents can do to help reduce the incidence of sexual assault. To teach children -- girls and boys alike -- about the need to respect others and their personal boundaries, we recommend "Let's Talk About Body Boundaries, Consent, and Respect" for ages 4 to 7 (https://www.amightygirl.com/body-boundaries) and "Consent (for Kids!)" for ages 6 to 10 (https://www.amightygirl.com/consent-for-kids)
There is also a helpful guide for teens on topics such as consent and coercion, "Real Talk About S*x and Consent: What Every Teen Needs to Know," for ages 13 and up at https://www.amightygirl.com/real-talk-about-sex-and-consent
For an excellent book for older teens and adults about the early warning signs of abusive relationships, myths about abusive personalities, and how to get help, we highly recommend "Why Does He Do That?: Inside the Minds of Angry and Controlling Men" at https://www.amightygirl.com/why-does-he-do-that
If you know a teen girl struggling after sexual abuse or trauma, “The S*xual Trauma Workbook for Teen Girls: A Guide to Recovery from S*xual Assault and Abuse” may help at https://www.amightygirl.com/sexual-trauma-workbook-girls
For several fictional stories that address r**e and sexual violence and offer a helpful way to spark conversations with young adult readers around sexual assault, we recommend "Speak" for ages 14 and up (https://www.amightygirl.com/speak), "Girl Made of Stars" for ages 14 and up (https://www.amightygirl.com/girl-made-of-stars), and "The Way I Used To Be" for ages 15 and up (https://www.amightygirl.com/the-way-i-used-to-be)
To read more about the new proposed "Virginia's Law" to end statute of limitations on civil sexual abuse cases, visit https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/feb/10/democrats-virginias-law-sexual-abuse-cases
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