Regarding the Findings of a Missouri Sex Offender Registry Audit
“The findings of a Missouri state audit revealing nearly 1,300 registered sex offenders to be unaccounted for is an imminent threat to the safety of children and families in Missouri and beyond. In one part of the state, nearly 80 percent of the most dangerous predators – those who have raped, sodomized or committed first- or second-degree child molestation – are missing. This is absolutely terrifying, outrageous, and unacceptable. Sex offender registries provide survivors with a modicum of security in knowing the location of their perpetrator, and monitoring is critical for community safety at large. We know most child sexual offenders WILL offend again: according to a national study, a typical pedophile will commit 117 sexual crimes in a lifetime. Keeping innocent children safe must be a top priority. Missouri law enforcement agencies should work to rectify this egregious problem immediately.”
Lauren Book, M.S. ED, founder and CEO of Lauren’s Kids, is an internationally-recognized child protection advocate, best-selling author and Florida State Senator who works every day to protect childhood. She is also a survivor of childhood sexual abuse, suffered at the hands of a trusted caretaker from the time she was 10 until the age of 16. Armed with the knowledge that 95 percent of sexual abuse is preventable through education and awareness, Lauren has worked to turn her horrific personal experience into a vehicle to prevent childhood sexual abuse and help other survivors heal.
An official 501(c) (3) since 2007, Lauren’s Kids educates adults and children about sexual abuse prevention through in-school curricula, ADDY and EMMY Award-winning public awareness campaigns and speaking engagements around the country and the world. The organization also leads an annual statewide “Walk in My Shoes” awareness walk across the state of Florida – 1,500 miles from the Southernmost Point of the U.S. in Key West to the Capitol in Tallahassee – and provides more than 8 million direct mail education and awareness materials statewide. The foundation has helped advocate for the passage of nearly two dozen laws to support survivors and protect children from predators. For more information, please visit laurenskids.org.
