I will not stop until children in all 50 states are protected from sexual abuse.". Erin said all she ever learnedin school was aboutstranger danger. But knowing it was not strangers who abused her,she has made it her mission as an adult to make sure kids in K-12 schoolsacross the countryonce a year learnfroma school psychologist or social workerabout personal body safety education. My favorite story is out of my own state of Illinois (One lawmaker) had been against school mandates her entire career, and (the sponsor) warned me, she is going to get on her mic and go on about how this should not be passed, schools should not be mandated to do things, etc. In 2013, Governor Quinn signed it into law requiring Illinois schools to teach it every single year. 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. COURIER/JOELLYN CURRY Erins Law soon caught on nationwide. (Read why most child abuse goes unreported). 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. These monsters are living in all of our backyards., (Tip: Offender Locator is a great app to have on your smart phone.). Well, something shocking happened. Illinois is the fifth state to pass Erin's Law since she took up the cause. 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. After reading that letter, a switch flipped inside Erin. Do you still stay in contact with him? But instead of destroying it, she ended up emailing her five-page account of anger and rage to her cousin, who was now attending college. February 7, 2023 by Cindy Erin Merryn is a Global Advocate for Child Sex Abuse Prevention For years, Erin Merryn was too scared to speak up about sexual abuse. 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. "(It) brings me back to remembering being six-years-old being abused. Merryn: I have witnessed some lawmakers come in voting against the bill who got on their mic after hearing me testify and (told) me they had all planned to vote against this bill and that my testimony changed their mind. 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. It brings it all back to the surface. 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. Again, she started having trouble in school, becoming distant and withdrawn. You will eventually hear about this law being passed in all 50 states, and I plan on one day taking it and making it international, said Erin. It would be many more years until that voice would become the strong, confident woman that I have become. It is currently passed in 37 states as of January 2021. Her friend slept through the assault, and Merryn remained silent. So far 27 states have passed Erins Law since 2010. My sister and I both left with stuffed animals and feeling like our secret was now in good hands. In 2008, Erin decided to step up her efforts to protect children nationwide and started writing state legislators to ask them to pass laws requiring schools to better educate children, school employees and parents how to prevent and stop child sexual abuse. The family pressed charges against Brian, who ultimately admitted to three counts of sexual abuse. Soon it was no longer our secret and I was behind a different closed door not the one to a bedroom, a bathroom, basement, or closet but this time into a colorful room with a small table and bright light shinning through the skylight. After it was republished by Health Communications in early 2005, she began traveling the nation telling her story about the sexual abuse she endured at hundreds of high schools, colleges, sexual assault centers, child abuse conferences and community events. When Merryn eventually confided in Ashley about what had happened, her friend was not surprised; in fact, the scene was depressingly familiar to her. Victims are those who don't survive. Maryland is the latest state, joining the crusade last month. Erin also included the correspondence between her cousin and herself, for readers to also hear the perpetrator's side. Alaska Dispatch: Resiliency can be an important factor in how well survivors of abuse cope and in whether they go on to lead a healthy, happy life. Merryn realized he had been molesting her sister too. Again, she was told to keep quiet, that no one would believe her if she said anything and that she had no proof. Erins Law has now going international with judge in Kerala India requiring Erins Law in the 2023-2024 school year. Erins Law encourages research based curriculum, Merryn said. More than 90 percent of children who are sexually abused know their attacker, Bucco said with conviction. MORE: Monmouth U. faces federal sexual assault case. Merryn: There is so much shame and stigma attached to sexual abuse. Merryn says a few months ago, a local . My abusers threatened me, and I believed them. It was so brutal I thought I was dying, Merryn, Glamour magazines 2012 Woman of the Year, recalled in an interview with the Asbury Park Press. She is an activist against child sexual abuse. --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. House Bill 105 overwhelminglypassed the Ohio Housea year ago. The man, then in his late 20s, abused her several more times in the next year, including, she says, raping her during a daytime visit when she thought he wouldn't be home. 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. So, she forgave him. Eleven-year-old Erin Merryn's life was transformed on the night she was sexually abused by her cousin, someone she loved and trusted. Call it what it is: penis and vagina.. But nothing prepared her for two traumatizing events that have turned Merryn, now 25, into an activist, determined to prevent the same thing from happening to other children. In 2013 Governor Quinn signed Erins Law mandating child sexual abuse education in all Illinois public schools. The same year I was born in 1985 was the first year the development of the first CAC in America was born in Alabama. "He told me, just like in the past by this other perpetrator, 'Erin, this is our . 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. The voice that was silenced for so long. This decision has brought her on a crusade across America to pass what is known as Erin's Law. Forgiveness is what set me free. I tell parents the best way to talk to kids about this is through the swimsuit lesson, Merryn said. (2013) After her parents decided to move Erin's abuse ended but only brought her that much closer to her next abuser, an older teenage cousin who lived . Later, just weeks before her seventh birthday, she was raped by the same man. 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. 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. (See Gary Glitter's sex scandal.). Get hyperlocal forecasts, radar and weather alerts. She earned a master's degree from Aurora University in social work. That happened until I was 13. I didnt want to talk to anyone about this. Merryn is an author, activist, and founder of Erin's Law. 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!. She didn't want to stop visiting her friend but tried to find times when Richard wasn't around. Now I have somebody I love and trust abusing me," Merryn said. See all See top. As an adult, she's reclaimed the voice her. She is the founder of Erin's Law, which requires public schools to teach children personal body safety on the prevention of child sexual abuse. Now, thanks to state Sen. Anthony R. Bucco, children of the Garden State may soon benefit from Merryns harrowing experience, knowledge and hope. He did respond admitting what he did and saying he is using his past to not make the same mistakes now in his life. I eventually would return back to the room I was interviewed in nine months later when I began doing individual counseling but was still not ready to go there into details the shame overwhelmed me however I did learn to finally stop blaming myself for what happened to my younger sister and my entire family. "The new bill brings a mandate," Merryn said, "mandating that all (Illinois) schools--pre-school through 12th grade--must begin next fall teaching sexual-abuse prevention education in the schools." Erin Elizabeth heard over the years from 11-13 "Nobody will believe you, you have no proof, you will destroy our large extended family, this is our secret don't tell anyone." Acting out both at home and in school, she was given an IEP (Individual Education Plan) and was told she was just going through a phase; that her parents brief separation was the probable root cause. According to the Office of the Monmouth County Prosecutors website, the only time that Megans Law information will be released to parents or families of students is if the school receives a Tier III high risk notice concerning an offender living within a 1,000-foot radius of their location. 7Erin Merryn is a Woman of the Year because"She's taken her personal crusade and turned it into a public one. 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. . I sat next to a woman who I had just met moments earlier in the waiting room with my sister and mom. She started by pulling out that little pink diary. Says Merryn: "[Ashley] made me pinky promise not to say anything. Erins Law is a tax-exempt 501(c)(4) non-profit organization. Erin Merryn, A Voice for the Voiceless. (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. 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? My goal in life is to give a voice to the voiceless and put these predators out of business, she said. She published a book called Bailey No Ordinary Cat that showcases Bailey's unusually gentle interactions with her three children. The only difference is now I am running from him in my dreams" (Merryn 49). Since going public 10 years ago, I have had no contact with him. She is the founder of Erin's Law, which requires public schools to teach children personal body safety on the prevention of child sexual abuse. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Sexually abused and raped from age 6-8 by an adult neighbor Erin was threatened to stay silent by her abuser. Gov. See the sex abuse in Israel's ultra-orthodox community. 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. But what followed was depression,an eating disorder and a suicide attempt. Victims of abuse know their perpetrators 80% to 90% of the time, says David Finkelhor, director of the Crimes Against Children Research Center at the University of New Hampshire. 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. The founder of Erin's Law. In December 2015, President Obama signed the federal version of Erin's Law providing federal funding toschools to provide this education. He'd conditioned and kept me silent for two years, so he knew he could get away with that behavior, even with so many people around. I wish I could say that Erins story is uncommon, but that is far from the truth its happening right here in our own backyard, Bucco said. I got five sentences to my five pages, but he responded and it opened a door of communication, she said. Erin Merryn is a powerful speaker and advocate for countless, faceless children and adults in our country who have similarly suffered sexual abuse. In Living for Today, readers find that Erin cultivated the strength to face her abuser . Our guest speaker for the Luncheon will now be Erin Merryn, childhood sexual abuse survivor turned author, speaker, child advocate and activist, and the force behind Erin . [8] In November 2009, she published a second book, Living For Today, discussing earlier abuse by her neighbor. He was the father of my best friend. You seem incredibly resilient. Unfortunately for many survivors they never see their perpetrators held accountable. A survivor of childhood sexual abuse, Erin has worked diligently to lobby every state to pass Erin's Law, beginning with her home state of Illinois in 2009. Every other headline horrifies the public with another predator taking not just advantage of a child but everything from a child. (2012) Fox News Self - Author of 'An Unimaginable Act'. The next day they told their parents. Eleven-year-old Erin Merryn's life was transformed on the night she was sexually abused by her cousin, someone she loved and trusted. 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. I always feared he would come back. 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.. 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. [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. Instead I am still running from Brian. Merryn is an author and activist against sexual abuse who founded "Erin's Law," which requires school to. She was named Glamour Magazine Woman of the Year in 2012 and a People magazine Hero Among Us for her tireless work promoting Erin's Law nationwide with a mission to our keep children safe by educating them about personal body safety. When I look at you, I see nothing but scum. 46 reviews. So many children will be protected because of her." There is a misconception about this issue many people think sexual abuse only happens to the poor, to people who come from broken homes, etc. I can remember that as if it happened yesterday. And for the next year and a half, repeatedly told me, This is our little secret. 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. 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. At age 11, Erin fell victim again. Erin is a mom to three little girls. "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. Alaska Dispatch: Let's talk about two words we hear a lot when covering sexual abuse stories: victim and survivor. Usually, the abuse isnt at the hands of a stranger, rather someone they know and trust. (2016) Consider This Self - Author and Children's Advocate. Erin Merryn is an author (Stolen Innocence, Living for Today, An Unimaginable Act), activist, and founder of Erin's Law. Who were they? 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 . 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. 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