CHILD ABUSE EXPERT CALLS ON LAUSD TO TEACH HOW TO SPOT PEDOPHILE BEHAVIOR

KNX 10.70 Radio: Reporting Ed Mertz | http://cbsloc.al/y2U3Q4

 

(credit: ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images)

February 27, 2012 11:45 AM LOS ANGELES (CBS) — Should teachers and parents with students in the Los Angeles Unified School District be taught a lesson on how to spot a pedophile?

KNX 1070′s Ed Mertz reports a string of alleged child molestation cases in recent weeks has put pressure on school officials to teach preventative measures to protect kids in the classroom.

“I believe we can spot a very large percentage of these cases,” said Diane Cranley, founder of the group Talk About Abuse to Liberate Kids (TAALK).

The Laguna Niguel-based organization is aimed at tips on how to identify pedophilia behavior and ways teachers and parents can support victims of abuse.

One of the ways molesters lure in their victims is by first gaining the trust of children and sometimes even their parents.

“People giving them gifts, people taking them on special outings,” Cranley said.

She expects even more allegations to surface in coming weeks after teachers at several LAUSD schools are under investigation for sexual abuse and other charges.

Cranley said while not all child abusers will exhibit the same behavior, there is really only one way to prevent new cases from emerging.

“Children should not be alone with adults or anybody that’s significantly older that them, more than a few years,” she said.

An estimated 80 percent of abuse cases occur in “one adult, one child” situations, according to Cranley.