After announcing the rape charges leveled against three boys, ages 8 and 9, Acworth Police Capt. Wayne Dennard said he had "never seen anything like this."

And he's a seasoned cop.

The details are shocking enough. So are the potential repercussions, for the alleged victim — an 11-year-old playmate of the boys — and the accused.

Most startling of all: Sexual assaults committed by children, against children, are not as uncommon as parents want to believe, though some experts question whether boys as young as 8 are capable of rape.

"In my counseling center, we see lots of sexually aggressive children" said Dr. Julie Medlin, director of the Medlin Treatment Center, which treats both the victims and perpetrators of sexual abuse of all ages. "I can't tell you how common it is."

"This is a problem most people don't know about."

Sally Thigpen, statewide coordinator for Stop It Now! Georgia, a public health campaign targeting child sexual abuse, agrees the problem is a growing one. There's no single cause, she said. Some children may be repeating behavior they've experienced. Others may be influenced by repeated exposure to pornography.

"Sexual assault by children against other children is way more under-reported than sexual assaults committed by adults," Thigpen said.

While the behavior may not be isolated, such acts are rarely prosecuted, particularly among children so young. But Medlin said she has dealt with several rape cases involving children under 10 years old, most referred to her by juvenile judges or the Georgia Department of Family and Children Services.

Georgia's criminal code defines rape as "any penetration of the female sex organ by the male sex organ." While it's difficult for many to fathom children so young engaging in such activity, it can, and does, happen.

"Little boys can get erections," Thigpen said. Medlin concurs that children can get aroused by sexual material. "Children are capable of having sexual feelings," she said. "They can experience the same [physical] sensations an adult does."

Some of the behavior is natural. It's normal for children ages 6-10 to explore their bodies, Medlin said. They may play games like "doctor" or "I'll show you mine if you show me yours." When that behavior turns aggressive it may indicate that the perpetrator has likewise been a victim of sexual abuse, she said.

"Usually, something's been done to them or it's something they've seen," Medlin said.

Due to a court-imposed gag order, few details are known about the Acworth case. The girl told investigators she was pulled into a wooded area by the boys, where she said she was raped Nov. 15. The alleged incident occurred on a Thursday and was reported to police two days later. The boys are charged with rape, kidnapping, false imprisonment and sexual assault. Their age precludes them from being charged with felonies but the alleged delinquent acts could land them in a juvenile facility where they would be placed among mostly older children.

"There's possibly a few that age, but they would certainly be a distinct minority," said Steve Hayes, public affairs director for the state Department of Juvenile Justice.

Some experts believe the case doesn't belong in the court system.

"Forcible fondling between children is miles apart from what we think of as rape," said Frank Zimring, a professor of law at the University of California, Berkeley. He has authored books and papers on child legal issues. "The motivation, the sophistication, the degree to which it is sexual ... it's not in the same league."

Charging the children with assault may be more appropriate, Zimring said. "But considering the ages, and relationships between the children, I'm skeptical," he said. "It seems like this should be discussed without involving a sexual component."

Child psychologist Elizabeth Ellis also disputes whether boys that age are capable of rape, in the adult context. "This whole case is rather mind-boggling," Ellis said. "If the boys did anything, it's more likely to be grabbing and groping. To act in such a coordinated fashion just seems far-fetched. Eight- and 9-year-olds aren't really capable of conspiring to commit a crime."

Ellis, a former counselor at a rape crisis center, said young girls in the 8 to 13 age range sometimes fabricate stories about sexual assaults.

"I get about one a year among my patients," she said. "There's something about our culture that seems to love sexual abuse victims."

A 1989 study in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry found rates of false allegations made by children range between 2 percent and 8 percent. However, the rate of reported sexual abuse cases that are never substantiated is between 50 percent to 65 percent. For children ages 6 to 12, the rate of false allegations is 4.3 percent. The rate rises with the onset of adolescence.

"What motivation would a child have to make this up?" Medlin said of the Acworth case. "What does she have to gain?"

Regardless of whether the accusations in the Acworth case are valid, Medlin said the problem of child-on-child sexual abuse is only getting worse.

"Porn is becoming more and more accessible, and children are like clay," she said. "At that young age, if they hadn't seen it, they may have never thought about it."

Intervention is key.

"When you see this happening, you need to do something," Medlin said. "It's much, much easier to treat a younger child than a teenager or adult."