When a child discloses sexual abuse, the adults and institutions that come next have one fundamental responsibility: protect that child. In one glaring case, Florida failed.
In releasing documents detailing horrific allegations of child sexual abuse against recently removed Palm Beach County Clerk of Courts Mike Caruso, the state failed to protect the identity of the child victim. The child’s name was redacted, but the documents included their relationship to the accused and other personal details that made it possible to identify them. That should never happen. This kind of forced “outing” can further traumatize a child and their family.
I know because something similar happened to me.
I was sexually abused as a child. When my abuse became public
— reported as the “eldest daughter of one of South Florida’s most influential lobbyists” — I didn’t get to decide who knew or what they knew. I remember going to school knowing my teachers, classmates and their families were aware. I remember being called names. I remember the shame of having the worst thing that had ever happened to me become something people associated with who I was.
Today, I choose to tell my story because I know it can help another child recognize abuse, find their voice or know they aren’t alone. I got to make that choice as an adult. This child did not. The public has a right to know that a public official was arrested and suspended from office. None of that requires exposing a child victim.
Marsy’s Law exists for a reason. Victims have a right to privacy, dignity and protection — and when the victim is a child, we should exercise more caution, not less. During my time in the Florida Senate, I fought to pass implementing legislation providing clear, consistent guidance for how the protections Florida voters enshrined in our Constitution should be applied. In 2027, I intend to take up that fight again, giving government, law enforcement and the courts the clarity they need to better protect victims.
For children and teens experiencing sexual abuse, telling someone can already feel impossible. They may fear they won’t be believed, getting someone they love in trouble or tearing their family apart. Those fears keep young victims silent every day. Now imagine adding one more fear: that if they tell, everyone they know might learn the intimate details of their abuse. We teach children to tell a trusted adult and keep telling until someone helps. We cannot then allow the systems they turn to for help to expose them.
In this case, the first publicly known allegation involving Caruso dates back to 2012, and we have to recognize that there are likely other victims who have never come forward. True pedophiles don’t simply offend once and stop; they are hardwired to offend against children. To anyone else who may have been harmed along the way, I want you to know: you deserve to be heard, believed and protected. And you deserve a system that safeguards your privacy when you find the courage to come forward. That is exactly why we have to get this right.
Protecting a child victim’s identity cannot mean simply blacking out a name. The entire document must be reviewed to ensure the information released cannot effectively identify that child.
This child deserved privacy. They deserved dignity. They deserved better. And I intend to make sure Florida does better.
Lauren Book is founder of the Lauren’s Kids Foundation and a former member of the Florida Senate.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Florida must do better to protect child victims | Opinion
