Kansas City, Mo. ? More charges are being filed in child sex-abuse cases, but the crime remains underreported, prosecutors say.

Last year, Jackson County prosecutors filed charges in 152 cases and are considering charges in about 20 more from 2003. That compares with 119 in 2002 and 151 in 2001.

“Child sex abuse is one of the most underreported crimes,” said Jackson County Prosecutor Mike Sanders. “The more exposure of this issue, the better.”

In suburban Johnson County, Kan., 66 cases involving child sexual assaults were filed last year, compared with 42 the year before and 54 in 2001.

The increase was attributed to publicity about local cases and news stories that helped some people overcome their reluctance to report the crime.

“What was a dirty family secret 25 years ago now becomes a police report,” Johnson County Dist. Atty. Paul Morrison said.

Kansas City police Capt. Vince Cannon leads a unit that investigates child sex cases and saw the effect of news stories.

“With some of your high-profile cases, you get numerous calls on lesser cases,” he said.

About two-thirds of child sex cases are never reported, according to national experts.

That is largely because more than 80 percent involve relatives, trusted friends or people such as coaches, teachers or church workers, according to the Metropolitan Organization to Counter Sexual Assault in Kansas City.

Child victims often don’t tell of the abuse for years, if at all, and most tips come from school or day care personnel, family members, friends and neighbors, studies show.

Less than 1 percent of 86,830 known victims in 2001 reported the abuse to authorities, according to the Health and Human Services Department.

Yet public interest in the crime is prompting changes at local police departments. An increase in complaints forced Independence police to add two more detectives to work child sex abuse cases, said Sgt. Ken Jarnagin.

Fifty of Jackson County’s cases filed last year came from Independence, up from 19 in 2002.

Sanders said some people do not want to believe that anyone can sexually abuse a child, and dismiss the accusations.

Other factors also play a role.

“Often they can be dependent on their victimizer for the roof over their head or the food they eat,” Sanders said.

Failure to report the crime deprives victims of critical help.

One local organization, the Metropolitan Organization to Counter Sexual Assault in Kansas City, last year provided services to 173 children and 129 adult survivors.

Its treatment director, Paul Tamisiea, said that without help, victims tried to suppress the abuse, but usually failed. Life’s normal events such as dating and raising children can trigger panic attacks, flashbacks, depression, anxiety or worse.

With help, the victims can recover.