Sex Abuse Survivor On A 4-Day Mission For Change
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – A sex abuse survivor is on a mission that she's under taking one step at a time.
On Wednesday, Lauren Book started her four-day walk through Miami. The walk is part of her annual 15-hundred "Walk in My Shoes" journey from Key West to Tallahassee to raise awareness and fight for victim's rights.
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 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.
