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. Alaska Dispatch: Do you think most lawmakers meaningfully comprehend the issue of sexual abuse? [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. (2013) CBN News Self - Children's Advocate. MORE: Moms and dads, can we talk about stranger danger? One thing my abusers kept telling me was that I had no proof that they were hurting me, so why would anyone believe me? Unthinkable acts. Choosing to forgive has led me to live for today.. "It's something that is going to be with me the rest of my life," Erin said. 25 $. This decision has brought her on a crusade across America to pass what is known as Erin's Law. 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. Do you still stay in contact with him? Again, she was told to keep quiet, that no one would believe her if she said anything and that she had no proof. 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. Lawmakers are in the dark about this. The abuse continued until she was almost 9. Erin Merryn speaks with enthusiasm, rattling off the list of trips around the globe, the hours of research and meetings promoting her cause. Alaska Dispatch: Would something like what you are proposing -- Erin's Law -- have helped you? COLUMBUS, Ohio The Ohio Senate is considering a bill to teach elementary, middle and high school students how to protect themselves from sexual predators. (See Gary Glitter's sex scandal.). The voice that was silenced for so long. 4 mos. Check out Erins third book, An Unimagiable Act. This book describes Erins journey across America to get Erins Law passed and resources for survivors, parents, and educators. By breaking your silence you are reclaiming your voice. Nightmares and flashbacks continued, and she started harming herself. 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. EN. InDecember 2015 President Obama signed thefederal version of Erin's Law providing federal funding for schools to use. In 2014 People magazine named her one of fifteen women changing the world along with Oprah and Hillary Clinton. 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. It brings it all back to the surface. Have there been times in your life when haven't done well? Her testimony was met with a standing ovation. My parents believed me and my cousin Brian confessed to the police, she said. Around the time we were getting ready to move away, my friend had a birthday party. Immediately I thought I was being asked this question because she already did not believe me. 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]. Forgiving him did not mean what he did was right, she stressed. See her personal website at ErinMerryn.net. Erin said the abuse stopped after her sister spoke up about her own abuse. Usually, the abuse isnt at the hands of a stranger, rather someone they know and trust. Caught you off guard? Merryn: My resilience took a lot of psychological help growing up as a kid, teen, and young adult. As the abuse continued, and as she was forced to see her abuser over and over again in social situations, she struggled with . Did anything make you an attractive target, or particularly vulnerable? How do we lessen the control these pressures have on ourselves, our loved ones? The woman behind the bill, Erin Merryn visited Paul V. Moore High School in Central Square on Friday, making it [] CENTRAL SQUARE, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) Erin's Law its now in 37 states . (2012) Fox News Self - Author of 'An Unimaginable Act'. It was a detailed account of how an officer came to her school to talk about stranger danger. 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. Do I know the difference between the truth and a lie? 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. Unfortunately for many survivors they never see their perpetrators held accountable. (Read why most child abuse goes unreported). Read more about Erin Merryn on her Erin's Law Facebook page and her website. 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. 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. Stolen Innocencewas published soon after. Eleven states have passed the legislation. Seconds later his hand was down her pants. No one is allowed in the bathroom with you not even your friend. 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. 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. 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. If you tell anybody, you will destroy our family, she said.. How and when did you do it first? 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. The place Erin reclaimed her voice and began her journey to healing. She didn't want to stop visiting her friend but tried to find times when Richard wasn't around. I found myself locked in bedrooms, basements, bathrooms, a car, garage and repeatedly assaulted by my cousin.. The next steps for the bill remain unknown. Merryn cautions that you can never just go by how many registered sex offenders are in your area. She is an activist against child sexual abuse. Innocence lost. 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. She also wantsteachers andstafftrained on the topic. 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? A place I went to with my eleven year old sister and mother. Her older cousin sexually abused her from 11-13 years old. 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. 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. 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. Low near 30F. She shows no signs of fatigue, and she seems ready. Erin says she believes everyone is born with a purpose and she has found hers through the events that have occurred in her life. Its somebody they know and trust.. The abuse went on for years. Merryn: I didn't expect a response back from my cousin because my letter was very harsh filled with so much anger and rage. 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. "(It) brings me back to remembering being six-years-old being abused. She is the author of Bailey, No Ordinary Cat, Stolen Innocence, Living for Today, and An Unimaginable Act. 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. MORE: Cancer-surviving mom stays strong for her son. The legislation, "Erin Merryn's Law," (S.6182 Klein/ A.8993 Dinowitz), would require schools to make a change to their . Author of Stolen Innocence, Living for Today 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.. Motel management is NOT obligated to tell guests sex offenders are next door. So be careful sending little Tommy for ice at the machine down the hall and inform teens who often book motels after prom. 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. All rights reserved. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. In the end, he was given seven years of probation, 1,000 hours of community service, he attended a two-year sex offender program, and couldnt come within 100 feet of Erin or her sister. Did you have a helper or helpers in your life? 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. Instead I am still running from Brian. 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. Merryn said the abuse only stopped because her family moved away. 2019 TIME USA, LLC. She lives in Chicago with her husband and two daughters. This went on for a month before police got involved. That is what brought Erin to tell her story at Metamora Township High School last Monday afternoon, during an all-school assembly. 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. Erin also included the correspondence between her cousin and herself, for readers to also hear the perpetrator's side. COURIER/JOELLYN CURRY The law was passed in a number of states,[7] with New York becoming the 37th in 2019. Merryn is an author, activist, and founder of Erin's Law. 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. In 2013 Governor Quinn signed Erins Law mandating child sexual abuse education in all Illinois public schools. However, she said theabuseand rape continueduntil she was almost nine. [8] In November 2009, she published a second book, Living For Today, discussing earlier abuse by her neighbor. We simply cannot stand by and allow these innocent kids to feel ashamed and live in fear at the hands of their abuser. 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. Partly cloudy. We've had an unprecedented change for our Gingerbread House Partners in Prevention 2021 Luncheon and we couldn't be more excited! It allowed me to let go of the bitterness, anger and rage I had toward him and find the freedom and peace I longed for and the ability to turn this painful event into something positive. 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. Wow, I have a decision to make. You have permission to edit this article. Erin Merryn is an author (Stolen Innocence, Living for Today, An Unimaginable Act), activist, and founder of Erin's Law. The abuse continued and Erin struggled with the secret that hung over her, a secret that eventually destroyed a family and took Erin's innocence. What factors came together for you to be able to not only overcome what happened, but to also thrive? I finally got, after seven months, what I had been looking for: an apology. She has now dedicated her life to protecting our nations children. "Erin's Law" is named after Schaumburg native and activist Erin Merryn. 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.. The first episode began on a warm May night in 1991. I always feared he would come back. Her name is Erin Merryn and she is the founder of Erins Law. Was this just bad luck? 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. He told me, "Your goal is to convince everyone else." Erin Merryn is among the many that came across the story. 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. 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 . He cornered her in basements, bathrooms and bedrooms, always reminding her that she shouldn't bother telling anyone because no one would believe 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. The only difference is now I am running from him in my dreams" (Merryn 49). 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