Statistics show that one in four girls and one in six boys will be sexually abused by the age of 18. (Josh Rultenberg/Spectrum News 1), California Consumer Limit the Use of My Sensitive Personal Information, California Consumer Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, The Ohio Senate is considering a bill to teach elementary, middle and high school students how to protect themselves from sexual predators, Erins Law is named after Erin Merryn who was sexually abused as a child, Thirty-seven states have passed Erins Law and Merryn has tried three times in seven years to get the bill passed in Ohio, House Bill 105 overwhelmingly passed the Ohio House a year ago. Because so often, people that are being abused do not report it until theyre in their 30s, 40s and 50s cause nobody ever gave them the message onhow tospeak up and tell, Merryn said. 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. However, she said theabuseand rape continueduntil she was almost nine. [7] She published her diary detailing her cousin's abuse and her own recovery, relapse and reconciliation in book form as Stolen Innocence in 2005. But at age 11, Merryn's second nightmare began. After an evening of playing with Ashley's dollhouse and watching The Little Mermaid, the girls went to bed in Ashley's room. As for Merryn, today shes married, the mother of an almost 2 year old, and expecting her second child in eight weeks. Merryn is an author and activist against sexual abuse who founded "Erin's Law," which requires school to. 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. This representative did get on her mic. Confronting him empowered me and eventually allowed me to forgive him when he wrote a letter apologizing. Merryn: My resilience took a lot of psychological help growing up as a kid, teen, and young adult. Its word for word my diary from the ages of 10 until my senior year of high school. As the abuse continued, and as she was forced to see her abuser over and over again in social situations, she struggled with . Merryn: I cover these two words in my second book, "Living for Today." She wasn't always successful. Immediately I thought I was being asked this question because she already did not believe me. Check out pictures, bibliography, and biography of Erin Merryn However, Merryn said this time the perpetrator was an older cousin, someone she had viewed as a brother figure. She is an activist against child sexual abuse as well as the founder of Erin's Law, which requires public schools to teach children personal body safety in order to prevent child sexual abuse. We need to start teaching kids this, she said. Erin says she believes everyone is born with a purpose and she has found hers through the events that have occurred in her life. (2016) Consider This Self - Author and Children's Advocate. What do you think made him want to apologize, finally? I had only ever been told no one (would) believe me, I feared ruining our large extended family when they learned a family member (teenage cousin) was molesting my sister and I. Sixteen years ago, on March 29, 1998, my sister broke her silence to me. Two of those children were my sister and I. Erin Merryn speaks with enthusiasm, rattling off the list of trips around the globe, the hours of research and meetings promoting her cause. 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. Erin said the abuse stopped after her sister spoke up about her own abuse. Alaska Dispatch: When you broke your silence and spoke up, was it frightening? She is the founder of Erin's Law, which requires public schools to teach children personal body safety on the prevention of child sexual ab She started by pulling out that little pink diary. The girls were brought to a Children's Advocacy Center where they had to tell their stories to complete strangers, something Erin wasnt looking forward to at all. Did anything make you an attractive target, or particularly vulnerable? So far, her story has inspired many kids to speak up about abuse, and that has led to more predators put behind bars. Erin wrote that letter. At first, it happened when she was babysitting her younger cousins and their older brother would arrive home before their mother. Eventually, her parents and sisters moved to another town, closer to family. Her testimony was met with a standing ovation. It would have given me courage to know that I didn't have to live in constant fear that they could hurt me, and hurt me even worse if I told anyone. MORE: Moms and dads, can we talk about stranger danger? Sexually abused as a. Now she's on a quest to make sure lawmakers across America hear what she has to stay. It was a detailed account of how an officer came to her school to talk about stranger danger. One day, a particular entry she wrote caught her eye. 25 $. In the wee hours of the night, Ashley's uncle "Richard" (not his real name), who lived in the house with his niece, appeared in the darkened room. The Children's Advocacy Center of Northwest Cook County Illinois. 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. Merryn worked with U.S. I think he knew that once he had us conditioned, we were easy targets. At a family gathering at her grandparents' lake house, she awoke in the middle of the night to find her cousin "Brian" (again, not his real name), then 13, lying next to her with his hands down her underwear. Our Spectrum News app is the most convenient way to get the stories that matter to you. "Erin's Law" is named after Schaumburg native and activist Erin Merryn. "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. 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. I didnt want to talk to anyone about this. Erin Merryn (born February 2, 1985) is the author of Stolen Innocence, Living for Today, An Unimaginable Act, Bailey No Ordinary Cat, and The Diary of a Cat Named Carrot. I finally got, after seven months, what I had been looking for: an apology. She came to me after I had been abused for two years and told me words I never expected to hear, that she too was being abused by the same family member. Victims are those who don't survive. Merryn says starting when she was six, she was sexually abused by a neighbor, then at 11 by an older cousin. Now I have somebody I love and trust abusing me," Merryn said. 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. And it was at her house the very first overnight that I woke up to her uncle who lived in the home sexually abusing me, said Merryn. Erin's Law has passed in 21 states and is pending in 22 others. Children learn all kinds of safety lessons in schools, like how to deal with natural disasters, fires and strangers. Merryn now. 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!. Merryn realized he had been molesting her sister too. 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. CBN News Self - Children's Advocate. How and when did you do it first? Read more It can happen to anyone, which is why we need to empower our children with their voice to speak up and tell and to not keep it a secret if they are abused. IG: The_Cat_Named_Carrot.Ellen is Carrot's biggest fan. As an adult, she's reclaimed the voice her. Unthinkable acts. Alaska Dispatch: Do you think most lawmakers meaningfully comprehend the issue of sexual abuse? I just wanted to get it over with.She was a forensic interviewer who had been trained to interview children who had reported abuse. 2022 Anchorage Daily News. More than 90 percent of children who are sexually abused know their attacker, Bucco said with conviction. Merryn didn't tell anyone until she was 13 and she suspected her sister was also being abused. She is dedicated to taking the stigma and shame away from sexual abuse and giving survivors the courage to speak up as she has. The law has now passed in 37 states. Merryn is an author, activist, and founder of Erin's Law. Erin, now a 33-year-old wife and mother of two with one on the way, has spent the last eight years travelling to every state advocating for abused children. Alaska Dispatch: You were preyed upon not once, but twice (two different abusers during different stages of childhood). 2023, Charter Communications, all rights reserved. As a young child from 6 to 8 (years old), when the neighbor was abusing me, he warned me if I told anyone he would come get me; he knew where I lived. 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. Again, she started having trouble in school, becoming distant and withdrawn. [3], She graduated from Schaumburg High School in 2004[4] and earned a Bachelor of Social Work from Western Illinois University in 2008. Stolen Innocencewas published soon after. Alaska Dispatch: When you decided to confront and start corresponding with your cousin, how did it go at first? When Merryn eventually confided in Ashley about what had happened, her friend was not surprised; in fact, the scene was depressingly familiar to her. At a family gathering at her grandparents' lake house, she awoke in the middle of the night to find her cousin "Brian" (again, not his real name), then 13 . Im very concerned about the possibility of grooming or the losing the innocence of our young children. Bad things happen to children all the time, the Garden State may soon benefit from Merryns harrowing experience, knowledge and hope, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. If you tell anybody, you will destroy our family, she said.. See her personal website at ErinMerryn.net. Merryn: I reclaimed my voice in the Children's Advocacy Center. Merryn is a national spokesperson for the National Children's Alliance, becoming the first survivor of child sexual abuse that went through a Children's Advocacy Center to speak on national television about her experience.[1]. Nightmares and flashbacks continued, and she started harming herself. The first abuser, our neighbor, is someone I think who did this to any girl he had access to. The school, community organization, day care center, etc. Why is it so difficult to talk about? Names were the only thing she changed. Merryn's family, including her two sisters, moved to another neighborhood in the same town when Merryn was 8, and she stopped seeing Ashley. She also wantsteachers andstafftrained on the topic. Here's how to protect your kids from online predators. For so many years I stayed angry and bitter towards him. 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. Merryn travels the country advocating for children who are victims of sexual assault. So many children will be protected because of her." Erin Merryn was an innocent child of six when her best friend asked her to sleepover. Pat Quinn on Thursday signed a new law extending sexual abuse education in Illinois schools. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune) During her quest,. What once caused her shame, and something she never wanted to talk about, she now found herself wanting to turn it into a book. tax-exempt 501(c)(4) non-profit organization. But nobody asked those important questions. Then something happened that no one saw coming: he confessed. Alaska Dispatch: Would something like what you are proposing -- Erin's Law -- have helped you? 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. As an adult, she's reclaimed the voice her abusers tried to silence. Through her personal diary, written during the years of her abuse, Erin shares her journey through pain and confusion to inner strength and, ultimately, forgiveness. All rights reserved. See the sex abuse in Israel's ultra-orthodox community. She was honored for her efforts in 2012 as one of Glamour Magazines 2012 Women of the Year. Merryn cautions that you can never just go by how many registered sex offenders are in your area. Merryn (whose other books are Stolen Innocence and Living for Today), the mother of a toddler girl, says this is a conversation parents must have every year and often. My sister and I were the only girls that he was around all the time. Survivors need to know they have nothing to be ashamed of. He knows the parts covered by his underwear and bathing suit arent for anyone to touch or see and he knows who safe people are if he ever needs help with something. There are thousands of accused sex offenders every year who are found not guilty living in our communities. The areas covered by your swimsuit are not for anyone to be touching, unless mommy and daddy are helping you with a bath. Info here from RAINNwww.rainn.org/news/president-signs-measures-support-state-action-prevent-and-address-child-sexual-abuseErin's media appearances have included Access Hollywood 2020Tamron Hall 2020HLN 2020CBS Morning Show 2019The Morning Blend 2019CNN 2018, HLN 2018, BUILD 2018 TLC Breaking the Silence Documentary TODAY show 2015, Nancy Grace 2015, ABC Nightline 2015, CNN 2015, Dr. Drew 2015, Inside Edition 2015, MSNBC 2015, Oprah Winfrey Network 2014, Windy City Live 2014, MSNBC 2013, FOX 2013, Katie Couric 2013, Oprah Life Class 2012, CNN 2012, Issues with Jane Velez Mitchell 2011, Oprah Winfrey Show October 2010, Montel Williams in April/July 2006, and Good Morning America in May 2006. In 2014 People magazine named her one of fifteen women changing the world along with Oprah and Hillary Clinton. How I wondered am I suppose to tell this stranger my pain when I am too ashamed to even talk in detail with my parents about it. Winds WNW at 10 to 15 mph.. 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!" [3], "I was not educated on not keeping secrets if someone was hurting me. When I look at you, I see nothing but scum. Mar 22, 2018 Erin Merryn, survivor of sexual abuse as a child and the driving force behind Erin's Law, speaks to an auditorium full of students at Metamora Township High School last Monday, March 12. "I didn't understand what was going on," she says. Her name is Erin Merryn and she is the founder of Erins Law. JANESVILLE, Wis. (WMTV) - Illinois woman Erin Merryn spoke in Wisconsin Wednesday, pushing the state to pass the law in her namesake that aims to protect children and prevent child sexual abuse. My abusers threatened me, and I believed them. So began her fight to bring this epidemic to the forefront, to push for every state to implement a prevention-oriented child sex-abuse program that teaches parents and school personnel how to recognize the signs of sexual abuse, and teaches kids from Kindergarten through twelfth grades techniques on how to also acknowledge abuse and tell a trusted adult. Eleven-year-old Erin Merryn's life was transformed on the night she was sexually abused by her cousin, someone she loved and trusted. 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. 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 an activist against child sexual abuse. Vermont State Board of Education has required it in schools since 2009. Merryn lay on blankets on the floor next to Ashley, who was in her bed. 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. I wanted to know why, and when I asked if he was abused, he denied it and said he abused me out of curiosity and an urge of sexuality. She also pointed out the real loss of innocence for a child is when they are sexually abused and nothing is done about it. 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. 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. You seem incredibly resilient. He was the father of my best friend. Erin Elizabeth had cheerful holidays turned into a fight to protect herself from evil where she often lost. We live in a society that doesn't want to even address this issue. Hes grown into quite the little man and doesnt want me near the bathroom when he showers or gets dressed and I respect that. 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. My name is Erin Merryn and I am a survivor of child sexual abuse. Merryn was also the owner of the viral Instagram cat, Bailey, until he died in December 2018. After graduating, Erin went on to earn her Masters degree in social work, but from time to time she would still consult her little pink childhood diary. See all See top. After graduating with Bachelors and Masters Degrees in social work from Western Illinois and Aurora Universities in 2008 and 2009, Health Communications published her second book, Living for Today: From Incest and Molestation to Fearlessness and Forgiveness. 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. Every parent should do their homework before they send their kids anywhere. Erin Merryn is the author of Stolen Innocence, Living for Today, An Unimaginable Act, Bailey No Ordinary Cat, and The Diary of a Cat Named Carrot. I got five sentences to my five pages, but he responded and it opened a door of communication, she said. It was the first federal bill passed funding sexual abuse prevention education. So I stayed silent. My parents believed me and my cousin Brian confessed to the police, she said. Please join Erin Merryn in her crusade to protect children from sexual abuse and donate to help her with her travel expenses today! Teaching kids the differences between safe and unsafe touch, safe and unsafe secrets, how to report this to a safe adult and to keep reporting it if your abuse does not end, said Merryn. Merryn kept her confusion to herself. The instruction will be provided by a school nurse who has completed professional development sexual abuse and assault awareness and prevention. The two families have ceased having contact. 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. That is just (in) America. (Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images) See her personal website at ErinMerryn.net Sexually abused and raped from age 6-8 by an adult neighbor Erin was threatened to stay silent by her abuser. I was keeping this secret with my best friend because he was also abusing her, Merryn said. The case never went to trial, and Brian received some counseling, but no punishment. Choosing to forgive has led me to live for today.. (See Gary Glitter's sex scandal.). When Erin Merryn was a child, she was sexually abused by two people she knew and trusted, including a family member. Merryn spoke to members of the Ohio Senate Primary and Secondary Education Committee of how she was sexually abused as a child. Innocence lost. In April, 2010, Illinois State Senator Tim Bivins agreed to meet with Erin and he became the first state legislator to sponsor Erins Law. Since that first meeting, Erin has met with hundreds of state legislators, testified dozens of times in front of State Senate and House committees, served on several committees to draft bills and implement the new laws, plus speaks regularly to schools, agencies, conferences and media nationwide. If they feel they are in danger or in an uncomfortable situation, they can call home and use the code word, something as simple as, I forgot my math homework at school. . Who were they? My question to hotel or motel management would be, Why not tell? Visit sheriffalerts.com to find out if there are sex offenders in your area. "He told me, just like in the past by this other perpetrator, 'Erin, this is our . What if their family is pressuring them to just keep quiet and get on with their life? Those were just the number of children who broke their silence that year. So far 27 states have passed Erins Law since 2010. She began to think about all the other prevention classes and drills she learned in school: how to say no to drugs, what to do in case of a fire, what to do in case of a tornado, how to never answer the door if parents arent home. He told me, "Your goal is to convince everyone else." After years as a teen struggling with nightmares and flashbacks of my abuse, attempting suicide, self-injury, etc., I decided to use that voice to confront my abuser For seven months we corresponded in letters. 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. Merryn, then 6, was excited about her first sleepover with her kindergarten classmate Ashley. At age 11, Erin fell victim again. 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. He got us quiet and continued to get away with it. Eleven-year-old Erin Merryn's life was transformed on the night she was sexually abused by her cousin, someone she loved and trusted. Erin Merryn, Stolen Innocence: Triumphing Over a Childhood Broken by Abuse: A Memoir 0 likes Like "Brian, this letter is probably coming as a complete surprise to you, but I didn't feel I should warn you since you never warned me when you were going to use my body for own damn pleasures. On Thursday, Quinn signed "Erin's Law" at the Children's Advocacy Center of North and Northwest Cook County in Hoffman Estates. The look in this mans eyes, the color shirt he was wearing and the last thing he said to me, Dont you dare tell anybody. Erin said they just wanted to make sure their nephew got help. Childhood sexual abuse survivor turned author, speaker, child advocate and activist Erin Merryn is the founder and president of Erin's Law. Erins Law encourages research based curriculum, Merryn said. You didn't just tell one person. Anyone who has felt victimized, ashamed, isolated, and silenced by their abusers will receive a road-map in the book for self-discovery, forgiveness, and empowerment to overcome trauma and live fully and fearlessly for today. He doesnt sleep out ever. Erin Elizabeth was sexually abused from 11-13 by her older cousin. The voice that was silenced for so long. But instead of telling everyone to vote against it, she told everyone to vote in support of this bill. Product Details Resources and Downloads Stolen Innocence Triumphing Over a Childhood Broken by Abuse: A Memoir By Erin Merryn Published by Health Communications Inc EB Distributed by Simon & Schuster LIST PRICE $12.99 PRICE MAY VARY BY RETAILER Get a FREE ebook by joining our mailing list today! We live in a society that keeps it hushed and (there is) so much taboo around it; people are afraid to speak up and say this happened to them. When all you have ever been told by an abuser is to stay silent, no one will believe you, this is our secret, you learn to believe that, and (it) makes it extremely difficult to speak up about. 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. She was afraid she would be a burden to her cousin and that no one would believe her. In 2009 Texas passed a similar law but it was only a task force which did not mandate students be taught personal body safety, making Illinois the first state to require personal body safety education by law. 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 terrible secret. My sister and I both left with stuffed animals and feeling like our secret was now in good hands. "I just stared at the ceiling waiting for it to end." Two days later, their cousin was brought into the police station. Call it what it is: penis and vagina.. Erin Merryn testified Tuesday in an Ohio Senate committee about 'Erin's Law.' Did you ever wonder, or ever ask him, why he did what he did? Since going public 10 years ago, I have had no contact with him. Senator Gillibrand on the federal version of Erin's Law to give federal funding to the law, and in December 2015 President Obama signed the federal version of Erin's Law under the Every Student Succeeds Act. Im terribly concerned about that, said OBrien. Its somebody they know and trust.. 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