You didn't just tell one person. My mission, through this legislation, is to educate children on what I never learned. Erin, a Chicago-area native, first introduced the legislation in Illinois, and the bill was given her namesake. Merryn's family, including her two sisters, moved to another neighborhood in the same town when Merryn was 8, and she stopped seeing Ashley. Erin Merryn is a 21-year-old college sophomore who wrote a book, "Stolen Innocence: Memoir," about her struggles after she claims she was molested by her first cousin. If you tell anybody, you will destroy our family, she said.. COLUMBUS, Ohio The Ohio Senate is considering a bill to teach elementary, middle and high school students how to protect themselves from sexual predators. Jill Burke is a former writer and columnist for Alaska Dispatch News. MORE: Moms and dads, can we talk about stranger danger? While these inhumane animals may live among us, there is one sexual abuse survivor who has made it her mission to empower children about these evil, sick people and teach them about body safety. Merryn: I reclaimed my voice in the Children's Advocacy Center. That is what brought Erin to tell her story at Metamora Township High School last Monday afternoon, during an all-school assembly. Eleven-year-old Erin Merryn's life was transformed on the night she was sexually abused by her cousin, someone she loved and trusted. I know that when theres one in four girls and one in six boys (being abused) Im not the only one standing in this room that this has happened to, Erin said of the statistics. Merryn worked with U.S. Erin Merryn (born February 2, 1985) is the author of Stolen Innocence, Living for Today, and An Unimaginable Act. Every other headline horrifies the public with another predator taking not just advantage of a child but everything from a child. Erin has appeared in People Magazine, Glamour Magazine, Time Magazine, The New York Times, Time Magazine, New York Post, The London Times, USA Today, Chicago Tribune, Daily Herald, among others. The family pressed charges against Brian, who ultimately admitted to three counts of sexual abuse. Says Merryn: "[Ashley] made me pinky promise not to say anything. Well, something shocking happened. Alaska Dispatch: Would something like what you are proposing -- Erin's Law -- have helped you? A safe touch could be a high five or hug and an unsafe touch is someone touching you in the areas covered by your swimsuit, or your private parts, Merryn said. The abuse went on for years. Buccos legislation has received support from prominent victims rights advocates and support organizations, including Morris County advocate Richard Pompelio; and Patrice Lenowitz, founder and executive director of The Nurtured Parent Support Group for Survivors of Domestic Abuse, a Bergen County organization serving survivors and protective parents across the state. Oh and of course my cousin's voice echoing through my head "No one will believe you, you have no proof, you will destroy this family, this is our secret!" Erin decided at a young age to take a stand against evil and expose the silent epidemic of child sexual abuse in the spotlight. Did anything make you an attractive target, or particularly vulnerable? CAC The place Erin Merryn broke her silence The Children's Advocacy Center of Northwest Cook County Illinois In 1998 seventy five thousand six hundred and forty seven abused children were seen in one hundred and thirty nine Children's Advocacy Centers in America. ALBANY, N.Y. - The Independent Democratic Conference was joined today by Assemblyman Jeff Dinowitz, (D-Bronx), and nationally recognized anti-abuse advocate and survivor Erin Merryn to hail the passage of important legislation to stamp out child sexual abuse in New York. My second abuser, my cousin, came from a family of all boys. (2012) Fox News Self - Author of 'An Unimaginable Act'. EN. Erin's Law is the first US child sexual abuse prevention education law requiring children be educated in schools. I continued to write him because I wanted answers. Merryn kept her confusion to herself. Erin Merryn Mar 2004 - Present18 years 7 months Chicago, IL Erin is an author, writer, and activist. We've had an unprecedented change for our Gingerbread House Partners in Prevention 2021 Luncheon and we couldn't be more excited! It is my hope hearing my message today youll see the importance of what Im here to talk to you about, said Erin Merryn. Glamour magazine named Merryn Woman of the Year 2012, and People magazine named her one of fifteen women changing the world and a HEROES Among us in 2013.[9]. She didn't want to stop visiting her friend but tried to find times when Richard wasn't around. Children learn all kinds of safety lessons in schools, like how to deal with natural disasters, fires and strangers. Author of Stolen Innocence, Living for Today Choosing to forgive has led me to live for today. In December 2015, President Obama signed the federal version of Erin's Law providing federal funding toschools to provide this education. Erin Merryn detailed the treatment and help she received from the Children's Advocacy Center, which has 900 locations across the U.S.A. - a safe environment for children to share their stories of abuse. The more I shared the more I felt heard like I was lifting this burden off me and by the way the forensic interviewer was talking to me and encouraged me she gave me the message she believed me. As the abuse continued, and as she was forced to see her abuser over and over again in social situations, she struggled with self-doubt, panic attacks, nightmares and the weight of whether or not to tell her . At the age of 13, Erin finally got the courage to tell her parents after learning her younger sister was being abused by that same cousin. God has healed me, made me whole again, and has shown me the ability to forgive, the freedom it brings yourself, and shown me my purpose in this life, and that is to give kids the voice I didn't have. See all See top. I remember being so utterly confused.. How? Im very concerned about the possibility of grooming or the losing the innocence of our young children. But her nightmare was just beginning. Erin Merryn is author of Stolen Innocence, Living for Today, and An Unimaginable Act. Erin Merryn is the author of three books about surviving incest, including "Living for Today." She also speaks nationally on the subject. will then mail or hand the parents or responsible adult family member the Megans Law information. All rights reserved. The Church Sex Abuse Scandals Around the World, Child-Abuse Case Reveals Vietnam's Lax Social Services, (Read why most child abuse goes unreported). After her parents decided to move Erins abuse ended but only brought her that much closer to her next abuser, an older teenage cousin who lived down the street from her. Erin first gained public attention for this cause when she self-published her first book while still a senior in high school in Schaumburg IL, entitled: Stolen Innocence: Triumphing Over a Childhood Broken by Abuse: A Memoir. I will not stop until children in all 50 states are protected from sexual abuse.". One personal safety lesson learned at school that actually helped me in life was "stranger danger." Merryn says a few months ago, a local . But nobody asked those important questions. Alaska Dispatch: So often we hear about "helpers" who encouraged a victim to come forward, or reported for him or her. --TV host Katie Couric, 1992, 2002, and 2006 Woman of the Year.After suffering years of sexual abuse for six years of her childhood Erin broke her silence when she was 13 at a Children's Advocacy Center. I really open lawmakers' eyes when I share this with them. The only difference is now I am running from him in my dreams" (Merryn 49). Erin Merryn was an innocent child of six when her best friend asked her to sleepover. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Instead I am still running from Brian. In just a few short years, she has already persuaded half the countryto pass similar versions of the law. Our Spectrum News app is the most convenient way to get the stories that matter to you. Buccos bill requires all school districts to incorporate age-appropriate sexual abuse awareness and prevention education in grades preschool through 12 as part of Core Curriculum Content Standards in Comprehensive Health and Physical Education. Statistics show that one in four girls and one in six boys will be sexually abused by the age of 18. I wouldn't have quit my job four years ago as a master's level counselor to go after this had I not been lead by the Lord. Erin endured the abuse from age 6 to 8 and from 11 to 13 and felt the long-lasting effects of her guilt, shame and loss of innocence. You have permission to edit this article. I am so confident I will get this law passed in all 50 states, because God has already told me it will happen. Behind those numbers are the faces of innocent children whose childhoods were shattered by actions of evil and sickness. Erin is now on a mission to persuade all 50 states to pass Erins Law, which mandates that all public schools use age-appropriate curricula to teach students how to tell on anyone who touches or attempts to touch their private parts. This went on for a month before police got involved. That is just (in) America. So many children will be protected because of her." My mom was a mess, that day she probably cried for 10 straight hours, looking at my dad saying, we missed all the red flags, her grades, she was depressed, Erin recalled. She lives in Chicago with her husband and two daughters. Merryn is an author and activist against sexual abuse who founded "Erin's Law," which requires school to. To a child who has been told so many threats to stay silent the idea of being taken to a police station can often scare a child. Merryn's experiences belie the more common parental fears of "stranger danger." A week later, she got a reply. For the next hour I relived as much as I was capable of sharing and just kept finding myself focusing on the large mirror having no clue their was a detective on the other side listening to my entire story and am very glad I did not know. Putting the lives of children in danger and possibly taking their innocence is worth it? The two continued to correspond for seven months. Her courage breaking her silence allowed me to take a stand for both of us and be brave and tell her we can't keep this a secret, that we have to tell our parents. It wasnt until Erin was 13 and found out the same thing was happening to her little sister (then age 11), that she decided she needed to speak out. Sharing those details can be difficult because as survivors, they bring us back to the place where we endured the horror. I was abused. It is currently passed in 37 states as of January 2021. I always feared he would come back. A therapist urged her to get her anger out on paper by writing her cousin a letter detailing how she felt, and after she wrote it, she was to rip it up, burn it or otherwise throw it away. Call it what it is: penis and vagina.. 5 talking about this. From the time my son Jack was around 3, I began having the private parts talk with him. I survived it and eventually learned how to thrive from it by breaking my silence and putting a face and voice on this silent epidemic. Usually, the abuse isnt at the hands of a stranger, rather someone they know and trust. But at age 11, Merryn's second nightmare began. She was honored for her efforts in 2012 as one of Glamour Magazines 2012 Women of the Year. Merryn was also the owner of the viral Instagram cat, Bailey, until he died in December 2018. For so many years I stayed angry and bitter towards him. In a Q&A with Alaska Dispatch before boarding her flight north, Merryn wasn't shy about sharing the difficulties she's experienced, including a suicide attempt, or the one thing that happened to make her finally tell someone she was being hurt. Here's How We Amplify It | National Children's Alliance", "Erin Merryn Fights for Law to Help Child Sexual Assault Victims", "Erin's Law: When the Abuser Is No Stranger", "State Senate Passes Erin Merryn's Law Aimed at Child Sex Abuse Prevention", "Survivor Recalls Alleged Incest in Book", "Child Sexual Abuse Survivor Gets Law Passed", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Erin_Merryn&oldid=1132623568, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 9 January 2023, at 19:15. She also pointed out the real loss of innocence for a child is when they are sexually abused and nothing is done about it. My question to hotel or motel management would be, Why not tell? Erin has been traveling state to state testifying to lawmakers to pass Erin's law for 7 years. "Growing up in the suburbs of Chicago, I met my best friend in kindergarten. Merryn found her voice at 13 when her younger sister said the words she'll never forget: "Brian's gross!" It turned out cousin Brian was abusing Merryn's little sister, too. It allowed me to go on this mission to be a face and voice for millions by letting go of hatred and instead turning pain into a purpose. Throughout her school years, Erin Merryn of Schaumburg, Ill., received plenty of lessons in the dangers her elders thought she could encounter during her childhood. The instruction will be provided by a school nurse who has completed professional development sexual abuse and assault awareness and prevention. Maryland is the latest state, joining the crusade last month. [8] In November 2009, she published a second book, Living For Today, discussing earlier abuse by her neighbor. As an adult, she's reclaimed the voice her. Childhood sexual abuse survivor turned author, speaker, child advocate and activist Erin Merryn is the founder and president of Erin's Law. The brilliant minds behind putting in place a center that had a home away from home feeling to give children a sense of security and comfort.At thirteen was the age I walked through the CAC. The words of my cousin began haunting me. She told them that, growing up in Illinois, she had experienced tornado drills, fire drills and bus drills; was taught about stranger danger and eight ways to say no to drugs through D.A.R.E., but no one ever taught her how to protect herself from sexual abuse and what to do if a family member or friend molested or raped her. Children are taught that the police are their to keep their communities safe and lock up the bad people. These days hes almost 9 and I dont really tag along to play dates anymore, but every time I drop him off, I tell him, if you have to use the bathroom, lock the door and have privacy. ", Merryn's family, including her two sisters, moved to another neighborhood in the same town when Merryn was 8, and she stopped seeing Ashley. Erin Merryn A Voice for the Voiceless Author, Activist, Speaker, wife, mother, and force behind Erin's Law Glamour Magazine 2012 Woman of the Year. However, during the hearing Tuesday,Ohio State Sen. Sandra OBrien, R-Ashtabula, told Merryn that whileshe was sorry about what happened to her,there will always be evil in the world.. If someone ever does touch you in those areas, you tell immediately., Merryn suggests the books The Swimsuit Lesson and The Right Touch.. And for the next year and a half, repeatedly told me, This is our little secret. She wanted him to know how much his actions had affected her life. "Erin Merryn's Law," a bill that will create a task force to study child sexual abuse in West Virginia, passed the state Senate unanimously on Monday. A voice that flies across America and speaks at many of these CAC's that exist taking people back to my experience at the CAC and this time sharing all the details because I no longer carry the shame but instead a voice bringing awareness to these incredible centers that give children a new start on life and a path toward healing. tax-exempt 501(c)(4) non-profit organization. She is at war against this silent evil that is lurking in the shadows and is devoted to opening the eyes of the public to the tens of thousands of children who are being abused right now silently in our own communities and backyards without our knowledge. Has anything particularly heartened you? Again, she started having trouble in school, becoming distant and withdrawn. Erin's Law was the first law passed in the United States requiring sexual abuse prevention education to be taught to students in school every year, and it was subsequently passed in 38 U.S. states before being signed into federal law. He continued to abuse her on and off for nearly two years, she says, often at holidays and celebrations with her close-knit extended family. [3], "I was not educated on not keeping secrets if someone was hurting me. At first, it happened when she was babysitting her younger cousins and their older brother would arrive home before their mother. Merryn: Yes. I can spend the rest of my life hating him, or I can forgive him and do something positive about this thing that continues to be a negative thing in my life, she said. She is dedicated to taking the stigma and shame away from sexual abuse and giving survivors the courage to speak up as she has. What's your advice for sexual abuse victims who may want to come forward, but who feel the abuse is better kept secret or forgotten? But where were the eight ways on how to "get away and tell today?" As an adult, she's reclaimed the voice her abusers tried to silence. 2019 TIME USA, LLC. Have there been times in your life when haven't done well? InDecember 2015 President Obama signed thefederal version of Erin's Law providing federal funding for schools to use. Pat Quinn on Thursday signed a new law extending sexual abuse education in Illinois schools. Only this time, the person behind it was her older cousin, a nice young man with a bright future to whom she looked at as the brother she never had.. Two against one, somebody had to believe us.. It was a detailed account of how an officer came to her school to talk about stranger danger. Erin Merryn's memoir is about how her life was transformed on the night she was sexually abused by her cousin, someone she loved and trusted."I thought when the abuse stopped I could move on with my life. She was afraid she would be a burden to her cousin and that no one would believe her. Alaska Dispatch: Silence is a powerful way in which sexual abuse is kept secret and is perpetuated. Merryn now had a duty as a big sister to protect her younger sibling. Little did I know by moving I was getting that much closer to my next abuser. (See Gary Glitter's sex scandal.). This law could have given me the ability to know I would be believed, that this is not a secret to keep, and how to report it. It was taught every year, and when a creepy van pulled up when I was 12 having a lemonade and the man put his hand out the window asking me to take the change those lessons immediately played back in my mind. The day I left that place I took a piece of my life back, and that was my voice. Then, Erin said she told her family too. Erin Merryn is an author (Stolen Innocence, Living for Today, An Unimaginable Act), activist, and founder of Erin's Law. How and when did you do it first? He told me, "Your goal is to convince everyone else." Alaska Dispatch: In your quest to get Erin's Law passed in every state, you must have encountered some surprising remarks. She explained to her cousin that she didnt want to publish it out of revenge, rather to help the millions of other sexual assault survivors. Please join Erin Merryn in her crusade to protect children from sexual abuse and donate to help her with her travel expenses today! I went to bed night after night crying into my pillow having nightmares, and keeping my secrets locked away in my childhood diary., Merryn found her voice at 13 when her younger sister said the words shell never forget: Brians gross!. After enduring a childhood filled w. You will be believed.. Who were they? 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