Merryn lay on blankets on the floor next to Ashley, who was in her bed. When she is traveling to state capitols or speaking engagements she is entertaining her 270,000Instagram followers that follow her famous cat. Merryn's experiences belie the more common parental fears of "stranger danger." [5] Erin Merryn, A Voice for the Voiceless. The school, community organization, day care center, etc. Children are taught that the police are their to keep their communities safe and lock up the bad people. What factors came together for you to be able to not only overcome what happened, but to also thrive? Merryn worked with U.S. She has made it her mission in life to get this legislation passed in all 50 states. But where were the eight ways on how to "get away and tell today?" Alaska Dispatch: In your quest to get Erin's Law passed in every state, you must have encountered some surprising remarks. Merryn now had a duty as a big sister to protect her younger sibling. Is there anything about your life circumstances that you think made you a target? He cornered her in basements, bathrooms and bedrooms, always reminding her that she shouldn't bother telling anyone because no one would believe her. Merryn cautions that you can never just go by how many registered sex offenders are in your area. In 2014 People magazine named her one of fifteen women changing the world along with Oprah and Hillary Clinton. Who encouraged you to keep talking, to keep fighting? 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. Merryn advocates for sexual abuse victims. I got five sentences to my five pages, but he responded and it opened a door of communication, she said. 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. 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. I guess what I was trying to ask is, why do you think your abusers chose you instead of some other girl as a target? The law was passed in a number of states,[7] with New York becoming the 37th in 2019. 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 Merryn realized he had been molesting her sister too. Merryn: There is so much shame and stigma attached to sexual abuse. Erin Merryn is an author (Stolen Innocence, Living for Today, An Unimaginable Act), activist, and founder of Erin's Law. Children must be taught to tell a trusted adult if anyone touches their private parts. 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. 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 . No one is allowed in the bathroom with you not even your friend. Two years later, though,whenErin was 11, she said her older teenage cousin started abusing her too. I will come get you, I know where you live, Erin recalled. Merryn said the abuse only stopped because her family moved away. "A Child's Best Defense Is Her Voice. The two continued to correspond for seven months. So many children will be protected because of her." Erin Merryn Mar 2004 - Present18 years 7 months Chicago, IL Erin is an author, writer, and activist. will then mail or hand the parents or responsible adult family member the Megans Law information. Now she's on a quest to make sure lawmakers across America hear what she has to stay. If someone ever does touch you in those areas, you tell immediately., Merryn suggests the books The Swimsuit Lesson and The Right Touch.. The words of my cousin began haunting me. Erins Law soon caught on nationwide. There are thousands of accused sex offenders every year who are found not guilty living in our communities. Names were the only thing she changed. Merryn suffered sexual abuse by a male neighbor at ages six to eight[2] and by a teenage cousin at ages 11 to 13. At first, it happened when she was babysitting her younger cousins and their older brother would arrive home before their mother. 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. She kept quiet, but behavior problems soon followed. Erin Merryn (born February 2, 1985) is the author of Stolen Innocence, Living for Today, and An Unimaginable Act. Erin is a mom to three little girls. Read more about Erin Merryn on her Erin's Law Facebook page and her website. Get the best experience and stay connected to your community with our Spectrum News app. IG: The_Cat_Named_Carrot.Ellen is Carrot's biggest fan. 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 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. In 2010, Merryn began a crusade to get Erin's Law passed across America. I sat next to a woman who I had just met moments earlier in the waiting room with my sister and mom. As I describe in my books, that center was the foundation of my healing. But then, it started happening behind closed doors at crowded family functions. Donors may not deduct contributions made to Erins Law under IRC Section 170 (c) (2). Erin said the abuse stopped after her sister spoke up about her own abuse. Erin Merryn from Elgin, Illinois, was just weeks shy of her seventh birthday when she was raped by an adult neighbor. The man had threatened Merryn that hed hurt her more if she told anyone. 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. That happened until I was 13. EN. Eleven-year-old Erin Merryn's life was transformed on the night she was sexually abused by her cousin, someone she loved and trusted. In her diary Erin Merryn reveals how her life was transformed one night when, as an eleven-year-old, she was sexually abused in her grandparents condo by her cousin, someone she loved and trusted. Details Eleven-year-old Erin Merryn's life was transformed on the night she was sexually abused by her cousin, someone she loved and trusted. Im very concerned about the possibility of grooming or the losing the innocence of our young children. Merryn spoke to members of the Ohio Senate Primary and Secondary Education Committee of how she was sexually abused as a child. I remember immediately after answering the interviewer I said "That's the reason I didn't tell before, I kept it to myself because I thought no one would believe me." What do you think made him want to apologize, finally? However, Merryn said this time the perpetrator was an older cousin, someone she had viewed as a brother figure. Two of those children were my sister and I. But only 1 in every 10 sexually abused children ever tell anyone about it. I always feared he would come back. Sorry, there are no recent results for popular commented articles. 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. A place I went to with my eleven year old sister and mother. What once caused her shame, and something she never wanted to talk about, she now found herself wanting to turn it into a book. 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. Merryn says her abuse ended when the family moved to a new neighborhood, Schaumburg, Illinois but she took her secret with her. 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. Named by PEOPLE Magazine a HEROES Among us and one of fifteen women changing the world. "Erin's Law" is named after Schaumburg native and activist Erin Merryn. Requiring personal body safety education in public schools. That is just (in) America. In 2010, Merryn helped create Erin's Law, which was the first law to be passed in the U.S. that required children to be taught sexual abuse prevention in school. Two days later, their cousin was brought into the police station. 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. Erin decided at a young age to take a stand against evil and expose the silent epidemic of child sexual abuse in the spotlight. [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. All rights reserved. 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. (2013) CNN Newsroom Self - Child Abuse Survivor. When people ask how I have overcome all that I have and doing what I am doing now, passing Erin's Law in 11 states, 26 introducing it and going to each capital to testify on it, I tell them all of this comes from our creator. Jill Burke is a former writer and columnist for Alaska Dispatch News. Erins Law has now going international with judge in Kerala India requiring Erins Law in the 2023-2024 school year. 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. She wasn't always successful. In December 2010 I was voted News Maker of the year for the Daily Herald.She earned her masters degree in Social Work and is the author of Stolen Innocence, Living for Today, AnUnimaginableAct, Bailey No Ordinary Cat & The Diary of a Cat Named Carrot. Visiting Alaska this week, Erin Merryn is a long way from home, and even farther from the torturous past she endured as a sexually abused child. Almost all states that have passed it are using the program, while some states are deciding how their schools will implement It into the curriculum.. 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. I found myself locked in bedrooms, basements, bathrooms, a car, garage and repeatedly assaulted by my cousin.. Visiting Alaska this week, Erin Merryn is a long way from home, and even farther from the torturous past she endured as a sexually abused child. Bad things happen to children all the time. At no time should the school provide the information directly to the student (unless the student is over 18). One thing my abusers kept telling me was that I had no proof that they were hurting me, so why would anyone believe me? 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. 4 mos. However, she said theabuseand rape continueduntil she was almost nine. Erin Merryn (born February 2, 1985) is the author of Stolen Innocence, Living for Today, and An Unimaginable Act. He told me, "Your goal is to convince everyone else." 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. That's where, 14 years ago, a then-13-year-old Erin Merryn first . I will fight alongside Erin and the advocates right here in our community until the day that this lifesaving legislation finally becomes law.. 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. Since going public 10 years ago, I have had no contact with him. 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. I was told repeatedly by my cousin that I had no proof, that he would deny it, that no one would believe me. Child molestation is an epidemic that needs to end now. 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. Alaska Dispatch: Do you think most lawmakers meaningfully comprehend the issue of sexual abuse? In December 2015, President Obama signed the federal version of Erin's Law providing federal funding toschools to provide this education. www.accessonline.com/videos/ellen-degeneres-gives-internet-famous-cat-a-call-in-quarantine, www.rainn.org/news/president-signs-measures-support-state-action-prevent-and-address-child-sexual-abuse, www.accessonline.com/videos/ellen-degeneres-gives-internet-famous-cat-a-call-in-quarantine. COURIER/JOELLYN CURRY "(It) brings me back to remembering being six-years-old being abused. [3] According to her personal account, she told her parents about the latter after her sister confided that she had also been abused by the same relative. I just wanted to get it over with.She was a forensic interviewer who had been trained to interview children who had reported abuse. She was also afraid she would lose her innocence. 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. 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!" The cousin used the same tactic as her first abuser telling her no one would believe her and there was no proof. My abuse first happened at weeks shy of my seventh birthday by a neighbor it went on until age 8 and a half. The instruction will be provided by a school nurse who has completed professional development sexual abuse and assault awareness and prevention. 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. 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. 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.. Young children tend to hear a lot of messages about avoiding interactions with people they don't know, when in reality they are far more likely to face harm from a relative or family friend. 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. 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. Visit sheriffalerts.com to find out if there are sex offenders in your area. Eleven-year-old Erin Merryn's life was transformed on the night she was sexually abused by her cousin, someone she loved and trusted. Alaska Dispatch: When you decided to confront and start corresponding with your cousin, how did it go at first? My goal in life is to give a voice to the voiceless and put these predators out of business, she said. COLUMBUS, Ohio - Erin Merryn, a Chicago-area resident behind an Ohio bill that would require public schools to provide age-appropriate sexual abuse prevention instruction, told a Senate. My sister and I both left with stuffed animals and feeling like our secret was now in good hands. Seconds later his hand was down her pants. 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 is an activist against child sexual abuse. The law has now passed in 37 states. 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. 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. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Known For. Has anything particularly heartened you? How do you identify? tax-exempt 501(c)(4) non-profit organization. She is an activist against child sexual abuse. "I just stared at the ceiling waiting for it to end." I found hope and healing there and people that believed me. It ended only after a chance conversation between Merryn and one of her sisters, who blurted out one day that their cousin Brian was "gross." It was just the beginning of a long journey. 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 they just wanted to make sure their nephew got help. So far, her story has inspired many kids to speak up about abuse, and that has led to more predators put behind bars. I had all the warning signs of an abused kid -- labeled behavior(ally) and emotionally disturbed, given an IEP (Individual Education Plan) for that behavior, I had anger problems, put my hand through a window weeks after being raped at 7 years old and threw tantrums on the floors in school. --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. But nobody asked those important questions. Erin's Law has passed in 21 states and is pending in 22 others. Read more 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. 2019 TIME USA, LLC. She was taught how to ride out a tornado, instructed in the eight steps for turning down illegal drugs, and told how to react to a friendly stranger who might try to abduct her. But instead of telling everyone to vote against it, she told everyone to vote in support of this bill. 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]. Children learn all kinds of safety lessons in schools, like how to deal with natural disasters, fires and strangers. 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! Merryn now. Merryn is now taking her fight to the state of Alabama. Its word for word my diary from the ages of 10 until my senior year of high school. He did respond admitting what he did and saying he is using his past to not make the same mistakes now in his life. Therapists (and) an amazing school psychologist in high school really helped me heal. One personal safety lesson learned at school that actually helped me in life was "stranger danger." 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. Meanwhile, the survivor who came up with the idea aftersufferingher own personal horrors shared her story with senators Tuesday. But what followed was depression,an eating disorder and a suicide attempt. This law requires personal body safety taught to children Pre-K to 12th grade through an age appropriate curriculum. 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. But both she and her sister did tell their stories. 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