There's a disturbing trend in Utah toward more children committing sex offenses against other children.

Right now, adolescents account for more than half of all sex offenders in Utah.

News Specialist Stacey Butler has been investigating and has a special report.

Police are seeing suspects committing felony sexual assaults as young as eight years old. And experts say many more cases are going un-reported.

It's a disturbing topic, hard to talk about, easy to brush under the carpet.

Some victims and their parents have learned few people want to talk about a sex case involving Child on Child.

Michele Benton/Mother of Victim: "THIS IS UTAH. WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?"

It's a question mothers like Michele, Marcy and Natalie are asking after what happened to their 11-year-old sons.

They say another fourth grade boy, on separate occassions, grabbed the boys' genitals.

"THIS ISN'T SOMETHING THAT GOES AWAY."

Each incident happened on the playground during recess at Antelope Elementary. So far 16 victims have come forward...many afraid to return to school.

Marcelle Blair/Mother of Victim: "HE MAKES UP STORIES SO HE DOESN'T HAVE TO GO TO SCHOOL. HE LAUGHS IT OFF, BUT I KNOW HE'S UPSET ABOUT IT."

The school principal says the boy believed responsbile for the assaults has been suspended.

The suspension happened after the latest round of assaults, but parents say the boy had been acting out sexually toward other students for some time.

Natalie Anderson/Mother of Victim: "HOW MANY CHILDREN DOES THIS HAVE TO HAPPEN TO, BEFORE THEY'LL TAKE CARE OF IT?"

These incidents are not uncommon in Utah schools. Among school-age children in Utah, cases of sexual assault are skyrocketing.

Dr. Rick Hawks/Therapist for child sex offenders: "THE AGES OF BOTH THE VICTIM AND THE PERPETRATOR IS GOING LOWER AND LOWER."

New statistics on sexual abuse by children, on children, are disturbing.

The fastest growing age group of sex offenders is 3 to 18. Last year 700 juvenile sex offenders were charged in Utah courts.

There are 64 beds in juvenile detention, and another 100 in group homes strictly for young sex offenders. There is a waiting list to get in. Many more are in outpatient treatment programs.

Sgt. Don Bell/Sex Crimes Investigator: "WE'RE VERY CONCERNED, BECAUSE OF THESE EIGHT OR NINE YEAR OLDS AND ALREADY COMMITING FELONY SEXUAL ASSAULTS."

Peggy Blackett/Therapist for child sex offenders: "UNTIL THEY'RE CAUGHT, AND THEY GET SOME SORT OF TREATMENT, THEY'RE IN OUR SCHOOLS."

And schools are having a difficult time dealing with them.

At Antelope Elementary, parents are concerned the school wasn't on the alert for the behavior problems that led to a series of playground assaults.

Reporter: "WHAT TRAINING DO YOU HAVE TO IDENTIFY THAT THIS IS A PROBLEM?" Ross Quist/Principal, Antelope Elementary: "WE HAVE AN EXCELLENT SCHOOL COUNSELOR HERE."

But the school counselor told me she has not discussed child sexual assault by classmates. By law she is not allowed to ask students about the sexual behavior of other students.

Our survey of school officials in Utah shows that many may not know the problem is as pervasive as it is.

One school district official told us sexual assault by students, on students, quote, almost never happens. Police say that's naive.

"I DON'T CARE WHAT YOUR RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION IS, I DON'T CARE WHAT YOUR POLITICS ARE, IT HAPPENS."

Sgt. Don Bell, is a veteran sex crimes investigator for Salt Lake City.

Sgt. Don Bell/Sex Crimes Investigator: "I THINK SCHOOLS ARE LIKE A LOT OF OTHER BUSINESSES. THEY'RE CONCERNED ABOUT HOW THEY'RE VIEWED, AND THEY'RE CONCERNED ABOUT PUBLIC OPINION."

Therapists say whether schools choose to acknowledge it or not, juvenile sex abuse happens every day.

Peggy Blackett/Therapist for child sex offenders: "PEOPLE CAN TALK ABOUT A LOT OF THINGS BUT WHEN IT COMES TO SEXUAL ABUSE, THEY'RE VERY UNCOMFORTABLE."

So it remains shrouded in secrecy.

Peggy Blackett/Therapist for child sex offenders: "I KNOW OF INSTANCES WHERE CHILDREN HAVE MOLESTED OTHER CHILDREN IN THE BATHROOMS."

Experts say for whatever reason, the problem is growing in Utah, but solutions are slow in coming.

"IT WASN'T WHAT WAS ON TOP OF THE WATER THAT SUNK THE TITANIC. IT WAS UNDERNEATH, AND I THINK IT'S THE SAME WITH SEXUAL ABUSE."

There's an interesting Catch-22 involving these cases, when they happen on school property. Most school districts have programs to deal with the problem, but teachers and others who witness the assaults aren't always trained on how to spot the problem.

Because of that, a lot of cases never get reported to district officials.

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