Ava Miegdzinski, 58, who was sexually abused as a 4-year-old by a Hebrew school teacher in Providence, R.I. , stepped forward publicly for the first time at a recent meeting in Frederick Maryland at the C. Burr Artz Public Library to discuss the repercussions of her abuse, which she said included sterility. She said she intends to lend her voice in support of legislation that would extend Maryland's statute of limitations on lawsuits involving cases of child sexual abuse.

Victims of such abuse have criminal but not civil recourse after their 25th birthday in Maryland. In Pennsylvania the Statute of Limitations was extended to age 30 for victims of childhood sexual abuse.  Studies show that only 10 percent of victims ever report childhood sexual abuse, and most who do wait until they are well into adulthood. As a result, prosecutors aren't likely to take on cases involving sexual abuse that allegedly took place decades ago, victim advocates said, thus the need for civil remedy.

The local meeting was sponsored by Child Victims Voice of Maryland, a coalition working to abolish the state statute of limitations on lawsuits in cases involving child sexual abuse, and The Awareness Center, a Jewish coalition against sexual abuse and assault.

The proposed legislation has two components: extending the statute of limitations and providing a two-year window for victims of any age to come forward.

The typical child sexual predator, according to some studies, will molest more than 100 children over the course of a lifetime.