I am glad the number of child sex abuse cases is up.

Before you get the rope out to string me up — read on. I am glad the number is up because that means more crimes have been reported, and the survivors of these crimes are being identified and assisted.

And yes, if someone in a position of authority or trust hurt you in a sexual way, then you are a survivor.

Make absolutely no mistake, I support the strongest possible penalties for sexual molesters. A sex abuser takes away emotional trust and innocence — two things that are almost impossible to restore.

I’d like to congratulate Tooele County Attorney Doug Hogan for his office’s insistence on prosecuting these crimes. It is a difficult thing to deal with — the intense investigations required for legal action — and we are glad Hogan and his colleagues are out there to protect our young survivors.

I worked as the crime reporter for the Herald Journal in Logan for a few years. While I was there, unfortunately, there seemed to be a rise in the number of cases of child sex abuse. Just like Hogan said, it seems to be a cycle: A big news story breaks about a case, then that in turn prompts other survivors to come forward and tell their stories.

While reporting on my first child sex offender, I wrote a number of articles about his various “techniques” to attract and harm children. As the weeks went by, the prosecutor’s office got more and more calls from other survivors, made brave by the knowledge that what had happened to them was not unique. In the end, prosecutors heard from more than 70 possible victims — who were able to acknowledge their hurt and start the healing process.

I can not overemphasize the importance of reporting this crime, if you know something is happening. This was reinforced during an interview I did with a multiple-felony child sex abuser. “Fred’s” (I don’t even remember his real name) story was pretty common — an addiction to porn, grooming and abusing vulnerable children, being caught and going to prison. Out on parole, he still struggled with his addiction. But what stayed with me from the interview was his plea to spotlight these crimes and jail the offenders.

Being turned in to the police ruined his marriage and his life, yet it was the best possible thing to happen to him, he said. Only after being in prison for several years did he begin to realize the horrible extent of the damage he had caused.

The average child sex offender will offend hundreds of times before being caught the first time, according to the United States Justice Department.

It doesn’t matter who the offender is. They have got to be stopped. If you are a survivor, or you know of a child who’s being sexually abused, please call the authorities. Unfortunately, this crime does occur in our community. Let’s help the survivors and show the offenders we won’t stand for anyone abusing children.

Ann Herron is a journalist and former associate professor at Utah State University who lives in Tooele. She can be reached at annherron@comcast.net.