MOSCOW, April 3 (RAPSI) – Lawmakers Yelena Mizulina (A Just Russia) and Olga Batalina (United Russia) have submitted a bill to the State Duma on lifting the statute of limitations on sex crimes against children.

The bill was posted on the lower house’s website of planned legislation on Friday.

The bill would amend Article 83 of the Criminal Code (pardons pertaining to the statute of limitations) in order to “strengthen the protection of children from sex crimes.”

According to an explanatory note to the bill, the amendment would expand the list of crimes without a statute of limitations to include crimes against sexual inviolability and sexual freedom of the underage and organized crimes pertaining to child prostitution and child pornography.

Under the current legislation, pedophiles cannot be charged with crimes they committed two to six years ago. “People with a predilection for sex with children know about the statutes of limitation and use these provisions to avoid punishment for their crimes,” the note says.

The authors of the bill say that the amendment of the current legislation would better protect children from pedophiles.