Sen. Lauren Book On Walking Tour To Promote Sex Abuse Awareness
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) - A sex abuse survivor is on a mission that she's undertaking one step at a time.
As part of her 8th annual "Walk in My Shoes" advocacy tour, Senator Lauren Book visited the Olinda Elementary School to talk to the students about sexual abuse and walk the campus with school's Superintendent Alberto Carvalho.
Book says one in three girls and one in five boys will become a victim of sexual before their 18th birthday but her hope is this, "we know 95% of sexual abuse is preventable with education and awareness."
It was at Olinda Elementary, where Book started the Safer, Smarter Schools curriculum to bring awareness and prevent child sexual abuse. Superintendent Alberto Carvahlo was also there to advocate for her cause saying, "I'm here to support Lauren book, our senator, but also an impressive individual who's turned her own personal tragedy into triumph for children."
Book said she continues to fight for children because she knows it's something she so desperately missed out on in her life.
"I know if I had a curriculum like safer smarter schools in my life I would not have been abused for as long as I had and that's what this is all about," said Book.
One step at a time she's debunking the myths in an educational and relevant way for kids in the state of Florida. One fact she pointed out was that 90% of the time children are abused by someone they know love and trust.
When she was just ten years old, someone Book 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. Her tour of schools continues for the next couple of weeks leading up to a visit at a school in Key West.