The one-year look back for sexual abuse cases has opened today and thousands of lawsuits are being filed, creating a sea of civil cases that had been stymied by statute of limitation laws.

Governor Andrew Cuomo in a radio interview earlier Wednesday morning said the opening of the window to file the cases, a key component of the Child Victims Act, will help bring a measure of “closure and resolution.”

“I think it will send a message to society, just because they’re a child and they don’t have an attorney and they can’t walk into court, they’re not as vulnerable as you think,” Cuomo said in an interview on Long Island News Radio.

“They have legal rights and if you abuse a child you’re going to have your day in court and you’re going to be called to answer for it. And I believe that can have a chilling effect on those people who abuse children. So, it’s basic justice and it’s right and it also causes us to acknowledge – which has been the theme of a lot of these issues – acknowledge the issue.”

The law approved this earlier this year could have major ramifications for a range of institutions, including the Catholic Church and Boy Scouts of America.

“We have a society where some people abuse children sexually and that’s been going on for decades with virtual immunity. No more,” Cuomo said.

The Child Victims Act was a long-sought measure for Albany, and had stalled for years in the state Senate under a GOP majority.

“The passage of the Child Victims Act was a long and tough fight for the survivors and advocates,” Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins said in a statement.

“The start of the one-year window will help survivors seek justice that has been denied for far too long. I applaud Senator Brad Hoylman who has been a leader in the fight to pass the Child Victims Act and to ensure the ‘lookback window’ was included in the final legislation. The Senate Democratic Majority will continue to stand with the survivors of sexual abuse as they seek justice.”