- Non-profit Lauren's Kids drew hundreds of advocates to Tallahassee for the last leg of its 10th Annual "Walk in my Shoes" event.
- The 3-mile walk started at Governor’s Square Mall and ended at the State Capitol.
- Watch the video to find out how the three-mile walk raised awareness about child sexual abuse.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Hundreds of neighbors are bringing their advocacy to the streets, taking a 3-mile trek from Governor's Square Mall to the State Capitol to raise awareness about child sexual abuse.
It's the 10th annual "Walk in my Shoes" event – created by former State Senator Lauren Book to prevent child abuse and help survivors heal.
“We know 90% of the time children are abused by someone they know, love and trust, people that are in their lives every single day, so we need to teach children to look for behaviors that make them feel uncomfortable to stay safe,” Book, the founder of non-profit Lauren’s Kids, said.
In Leon County, there were about 201 investigations of child abuse in March, according to the Florida Department of Children and Families.
Most recently, Tallahassee Police say 12-year-old Lori Paige's remains were found after being reported missing nearly 2 years ago.
According to court documents, evidence shows possible abuse from her father, Andrew Wile,y who has been charged with second-degree murder.
With this walk, advocates are hoping to prevent more cases like this.
"Walking the streets makes you feel like other people are looking and learning and seeing what is that that's going on and just to bring the awareness so that they know that there's hope and that there's help out there,” Daliana Goins, a participant from Key West and survivor of child sexual abuse, said.
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