Ex-models demand change over French sex abuse laws

A group of former models have called on French lawmakers to abolish the law which determines how long victims of rape and sexual assault have to report to the authorities.

The women, including former supermodel Carre Otis, claim to have been sexually assaulted or raped by their French model agents more than 20 years ago.

French law says they have run out of time to start criminal proceedings.

But the women have said "rape should not have an expiration date".

Some of them travelled to Paris to give testimony at the French senate, saying "the law needs to change".

In the meeting with Senator Nathalie Goulet, the women, including Lesa Amoore, Thysia Huisman and Laurie Marsden, called for the time given for sexual assault or rape to be reported to authorities to be "expanded or thrown away entirely".

Carre Otis Sutton told the senators that it had taken her "decades to come to terms with what happened to me and decades to speak publicly" about her alleged rapes by the former European head of Elite model agency, Gerald Marie.

He strongly refutes all the allegations.

She told the hearing the "criminal justice system has not always served the interest of survivors" and said that the "laws in the US and around the world must reflect the science and lived experience of sexual abuse".

Nathalie Goulet said she was interested in a possible French version of the New York Child Victim Act, which allowed a one-year "look-back window", of which old claims past their statute of limitations could be brought back.

"We have a station in the next two weeks on the justice law, so maybe it will be an opportunity to put an amendment and try to discuss this subject," Goulet told the women.

"We all feel the same, this statute of limitations, we have to work on it."

But Madame Goulet added a note of caution to the women, saying "but we have to be realistic.

"It is crystal clear that you want to change the regulations, but it will never be for the past, it will be for the future, if we are successful.

"On the other side, we have another way than criminal proceedings, we also have civil proceedings which might be easier."

The director of advocacy group The Model Alliance, Sara Ziff, told the meeting that "unfortunately the fashion industry from 30 years ago is the same industry today".

French authorities have already begun a preliminary investigation against Gerald Marie who was one of the world's biggest model agents, 14 women, so far, have given statements to French authorities alleging sexual assault or rape against him.

Brunel, who is currently on remand, has denied any wrongdoing.

Laurie Marsden claims that in 1982, Marie attempted to rape her after a party.

Now a licensed clinical social worker and psychotherapist, she says it is important to highlight the trauma victims go through before they're ready to talk to anyone.

"I have worked with trauma survivors for the last 24 years and I intend to speak about why women don't come forward and how it can take many, many years to get over the shame and fear and the overwhelming feelings that are triggered over sexual assault.

"And many people will not talk about it and will not disclose it, really because they are not psychologically capable of doing so. And that's a really important point that has not been taken into account when the laws were written."

Gerald Marie said in a statement, he "refutes with dismay these false and defamatory allegations".

Former BBC reporter, Lisa Brinkworth also took part in the senate discussion. She posed as a model in a documentary for the BBC's Donal McIntyre Investigates series in 1998.

She alleges she was sexually assaulted by Gerald Marie during filming.

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