Lauren's Kids

TAMPA – Sexual abuse survivor-turned-advocate Lauren Book lambasted a recent New York high court ruling that it’s not illegal to “merely” view child pornography and called it “an alarming outrage that will open the door to increased acceptance of child sexual abuse.

Lauren Book issued the following statement today from the Alpha House in Tampa:

“Child pornography is a multi-billion dollar business that profits from the exploitation and spiritual devastation of children.  This court ruling is an egregious assault on children’s rights that gives a lewd and lascivious license to pedophiles.  By making it ok for adults to view child pornography on a computer, the sick industry that profits from the sexual exploitation of children just got a powerful legal boost.  I applaud the New York lawmakers who have moved quickly to try and close this dangerous loophole.  Clearly, lawmakers across the country need to act rapidly to make it clear that anyone who creates a supply or fills a demand for child pornography is appropriately punished.  A ruling like this only emboldens child pornographers and the twisted individuals who are their market.  Unwittingly, the court has aided and abetted the porn industry.”

The Alpha House of Tampa is a licensed maternity home providing residential services to pregnant women, foster care teens, young mothers and their children, including victims of sexual abuse, assault or exploitation.

The Alpha House of Tampa has 20 dormitory-style bedrooms in its maternity ward. Each room has a design team and an “adopter” that sponsors the room for a year. Lauren’s Kids is serving as an “adopter” for one room undergoing a renovation on Tuesday. The Lauren’s Kids design team will have 48-hours to implement their designs and completely make over the room.

In 2011, Alpha House created the Room of Her Own project in conjunction with its 30^th anniversary. The initiative was started to make the dormitory-style housing into a more comfortable atmosphere that felt like a home.

Read more about the N.Y. ruling here: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/may/13/backlash-grows-at-ruling-on-viewing-of-child-porn/

(Lauren Book) Without the donations that Publix gives us, we would not be able to do the work that we do. (Ron Book) So it enables us to fill many of those unmet needs in the sexual assault treatment centers in our area. (Lauren Book) In a center like MUJER that needed $10,000 or they were about to close their door… WTVJ_NBC_Miami

NPR: Lauren Book grew up in what looked like a stable upper class home. But over six years, Lauren was sexually and physically abused by the family’s female nanny. Her memoir It’s OK to Tell challenges commonly held ideas about sexual abuse, and she speaks with host Michel Martin. Read more.

JVM:  Lauren Book, you’re a sexual abuse survivor. There are a lot of good people who adopt children, and I know some, but what can we do to make sure that this kind of thing doesn’t happen again? It doesn’t seem like a lot of people were checking up on the guy or taking the kids away from him and interviewing them separately, or maybe in a group away from dad. Lauren: Absolutely, Jane… HLN 3-5-12 (26)

By: Dara Kamm

A House panel unanimously approved a measure that would punish universities, colleges and schools for failing to report child molestation with a $1 million fine per incident and heightened penalties for child molesters.

Child sexual abuse scandals at Penn State University, Syracuse University and the Citadel prompted Rep. Chris Dorworth to sponsor the measure at the request of influential lobbyist Ron Book, whose daughter Lauren is a child abuse survivor and advocate whose organization Lauren’s Kids works to prevent childhood sexual abuse. Read more.