There will soon be a new tool available to parents and caregivers of sexually abused kids.
Sexual abuse survivor and advocate Lauren Book is the founder of the non-profit Lauren’s Kids, which partnered with the Florida Council Against Sexual Violence to create the “Hope and Healing Disclosure Kit.” Book says parents often don’t know what to do after they learn their child was a victim.
“I think back to when I disclosed my abuse and I went home for the first time, and I had two little siblings, my mother, my father…it was as though an atom bomb exploded in our home,” said Book. “And everyone was dazed and confused and didn’t know what to say or how to say it or even how to look at me.”
So, the kit includes information from how to report the abuse to how to process the abuse as a family. Book says what she really likes about the tool is it handles all sorts of “what if” scenarios.
“If my child—a year after they’re abused—how do we survive that as a family,” added Book. “How do I deal with my other children who may not have been abused, but are affected by some of the things that happened and the aftermath of sexual abuse. And, so, it’s a really great, wonderful resource.”
The kit will be available for free in August in print and online on the Lauren’s Kids foundation website in English, Spanish, and Creole.
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