Victims of sexual assault in Washington state now have far more time to report the crimes committed against them.

That’s after big changes to the statute of limitations on sexual assault went into effect Sunday.

The new law removed the time limit for crimes against people younger than 16. Victims 16 and older when the crime is committed now have up to 10 to 20 years to report it, depending on the severity of the assault.

“It's part of a shift that says it takes time for people to come forward,” said Mary Ellen Stone, with the King County Sexual Assault Resource Center. “The more we can encourage people to come forward, the better.”

“Whether that in the long run results in a lot more victims coming forward, we're just going to have wait and see.”

Previously, survivors of childhood sex abuse had just three years after their 18th birthday, or after discovery of the harms of their abuse, to bring a civil case.