Sex Abuse Survivor Walks Through Broward On A Mission For Change
FT LAUDERDALE MIAMI (CBSMiami) – A sex abuse survivor is on a mission that she's under taking one step at a time.
On Sunday and Monday, Lauren Book will walk through Broward as part of her annual 15-hundred mile "Walk in My Shoes" journey from Key West to Tallahassee to raise awareness and fight for victim's rights. She started her morning Sunday in Hallandale Beach and will host a rally at the Publix store on Las Olas Boulevard in Ft. Lauderdale at 1 p.m.
She started her South Florida swing last week in Miami.
Book's walk takes place in March and April, National Child Abuse Awareness and National Sexual Assault Awareness Month, over a period of 42 days in honor of the 42 million survivors of child sex abuse in the U.S. and serves to raise awareness about child sexual abuse prevention, empower survivors and advocate for change in Florida law to relating to sexually violent predators and child protection.
Book was just ten years old when someone she loved and trusted, her nanny Waldeana Florez, began sexually and physically abusing her. She endured the abuse for six years before she was finally able to break away.
Book, founder and CEO of Lauren's Kids, launched the ''Walk in My Shoes" campaign in 2010 to raise awareness of the issue of sexual abuse and encourage victims to speak about their experiences.
Following a kickoff in Tallahassee on March 11 where Book praised Florida lawmakers for passing bills related to sexual abuse prevention and civil commitment of sexual predators in the first days of the 2014 legislative session, the Walk throughout Florida began on March 16th in Key West and will end in Tallahassee on April 22nd, with a rally on the steps of the state Capitol.
