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April is both National Sexual Assault Awareness Month and National Child Abuse Prevention Month, and Aventura-based nonprofit Lauren’s Kids is announcing awareness campaigns and sharing free resources all month long to help prevent child sexual abuse and support survivors. Their message is especially critical this year, as the FBI has warned that incidences of child sexual abuse and exploitation have spiked during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The topics of child abuse and sexual assault can be scary and uncomfortable to talk about, but until we shatter the stigma that surrounds them, children and adults will continue to suffer in silence,” said Senator Lauren Book, Founder and CEO of Lauren’s Kids, and a survivor herself. “With education, awareness, and advocacy, we can prevent abuse and make sure survivors know that it’s OK to tell – and it’s OK to heal.”
In the month of April, Lauren’s Kids’ is releasing a new public service announcement highlighting the ever-growing prevalence of apps, social media sites, and other child- and teen-focused digital properties being used by online predators to gain access to and exploit children. This powerful PSA can be found at YouTube.com/LaurensKids.
In addition to raising awareness through education programming and EMMY Award-winning public service announcements, Senator Book and the Lauren’s Kids Foundation work to support children’s advocacy centers across the state as they help victims of abuse heal into thriving survivors. As part of her efforts to support live-saving advocacy centers, Senator Book has spearheaded renovations and remodels to children’s advocacy centers from the Keys to the Panhandle.
Senator Book’s latest renovation transformation is documented in the “Journey Home” — a 30-minute television special focused on Lauren’s Kids’ efforts to rebuild the Gulf Coast Children’s Advocacy Center (CAC) in Panama City after it was destroyed by Hurricane Michael in 2018. This program aired locally on Saturday, April 17th at 7:30pm on CBS (WFOR), or its online premiere Saturday, April 24 on YouTube.com/LaurensKids.
Sadly, 1 in 3 girls and 1 in 5 boys will become victims of sexual abuse before they turn 18, and 1 in 5 children who touch a digital device will be sexually solicited. These statistics are shocking, but the solution is clear: 95% of this abuse and exploitation IS preventable through education and awareness. Not sure where to start? Access free personal safety education resources at LaurensKids.org, and encourage your child’s school to utilize the foundation’s “Safer, Smarter Kids” and “Safer, Smarter Teens” prevention education curriculum programs.
