Erin Merryn is a powerful speaker and advocate for countless, faceless children and adults in our country who have similarly suffered sexual abuse. 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. Alaska Dispatch: So often we hear about "helpers" who encouraged a victim to come forward, or reported for him or her. Call it what it is: penis and vagina.. Her dad singled me out during the party. Has anything particularly heartened you? Then, Erin said she told her family too. 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. That's where, 14 years ago, a then-13-year-old Erin Merryn first . Merryn realized he had been molesting her sister too. We simply cannot stand by and allow these innocent kids to feel ashamed and live in fear at the hands of their abuser. 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. . Erin Merryn speaks with enthusiasm, rattling off the list of trips around the globe, the hours of research and meetings promoting her cause. Forgiveness set me free. She has appeared on Oprah, Today Show, Good Morning America, CNN, Fox, MSNBC, TLC documentary Breaking the Silence, CBS This Morning, Katie Couric, Tamaron Hall, 700 Club, and over 200 local media stations. 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. She shows no signs of fatigue, and she seems ready. 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. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Use safe and unsafe touch. Her friend slept through the assault, and Merryn remained silent. 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. Do you still stay in contact with him? All rights reserved. Eleven states have passed the legislation. Merryn was as bewildered as she was frightened. Now she's on a quest to make sure lawmakers across America hear what she has to stay. She also pointed out the real loss of innocence for a child is when they are sexually abused and nothing is done about it. Every other headline horrifies the public with another predator taking not just advantage of a child but everything from a child. EN. Sexually abused and raped from age 6-8 by an adult neighbor Erin was threatened to stay silent by her abuser. Merryn is an author, activist, and founder of Erin's Law. Now I have somebody I love and trust abusing me," Merryn said. 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. The parents can then share the information that the schools provided with anyone else in their household. Erin also included the correspondence between her cousin and herself, for readers to also hear the perpetrator's side. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune) During her quest,. But both she and her sister did tell their stories. 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. Gov. 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. It was just the beginning of a long journey. Erin wrote that letter. MORE: Moms and dads, can we talk about stranger danger? He was given probation and counseling., Forgiveness is what set me free, she said. 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'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. She is an activist against child sexual abuse. will then mail or hand the parents or responsible adult family member the Megans Law information. Eleven-year-old Erin Merryn's life was transformed on the night she was sexually abused by her cousin, someone she loved and trusted. Sexually abused and raped from age 6-8 by an adult neighbor Erin was threatened to stay silent by her abuser. 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. Erin Merryn is author of Stolen Innocence, Living for Today, and An Unimaginable Act. What once caused her shame, and something she never wanted to talk about, she now found herself wanting to turn it into a book. I really open lawmakers' eyes when I share this with them. 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." Merryn's family, including her two sisters, moved to another neighborhood in the same town when Merryn was 8, and she stopped seeing Ashley. So before CAC's a child brought to a police station could be filled with anxiety and fear that they are in trouble. Sponsored by Rep. Geran Tarr, D-Anchorage, HB 233 puts Alaska among the states considering "Erin's Law" in 2014. The case never went to trial, and Brian received some counseling, but no punishment. That is just (in) America. Erin's Law is the first US child sexual abuse prevention education law requiring children be educated in schools. 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. What if their family is pressuring them to just keep quiet and get on with their life? Merryn says a few months ago, a local . Putting the lives of children in danger and possibly taking their innocence is worth it? 7Erin Merryn is a Woman of the Year because"She's taken her personal crusade and turned it into a public one. She earned a master's degree from Aurora University in social work. Eventually, her parents and sisters moved to another town, closer to family. Alaska Dispatch: Would something like what you are proposing -- Erin's Law -- have helped you? 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. 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. So, instead of speaking out, the only person she told her thoughts and feelings to was herself in the form of a little pink diary. In just a few short years, she has already persuaded half the countryto pass similar versions of the law. It happened again after we moved away, when a cousin started abusing me in my sleep when I was 11 years old. Childhood sexual abuse survivor turned author, speaker, child advocate and activist Erin Merryn is the founder and president of Erin's Law. Visit sheriffalerts.com to find out if there are sex offenders in your area. Erin Merryn was an innocent child of six when her best friend asked her to sleepover. I remember being so utterly confused.. You have permission to edit this article. [3], She graduated from Schaumburg High School in 2004[4] and earned a Bachelor of Social Work from Western Illinois University in 2008. 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. Merryn said she was never taught to speak up about it, so shekept it a secret. 35. 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. The bill had already passed the House . Known For. ABC News agreed to use her pen name and a false name for the man she says abused her. Merryn spoke to members of the Ohio SenatePrimary and Secondary Education Committee of how she was sexually abused as a child. My parents believed me and my cousin Brian confessed to the police, she said. 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. She didn't want to stop visiting her friend but tried to find times when Richard wasn't around. In it, Erin chronicles how she cultivated the strength to face her abuser and eventually found relief from years of emotional restlessness, while also igniting the beginnings of a new fearless journey. Im terribly concerned about that, said OBrien. 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. COLUMBUS, Ohio The Ohio Senate is considering a bill to teach elementary, middle and high school students how to protect themselves from sexual predators. 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. My sister and I both left with stuffed animals and feeling like our secret was now in good hands. I am a survivor. Do you know if it was as healing for him as it was for you? She is the force behind passing Erin's Law across America. Caught you off guard? I always feared he would come back. While the party was going on, and my friend's mom was in the house, this neighbor cornered me in a bathroom and abused me. Two of those children were my sister and I. 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. 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. A week later, she got a reply. (2013) CNN Newsroom Self - Child Abuse Survivor. We've had an unprecedented change for our Gingerbread House Partners in Prevention 2021 Luncheon and we couldn't be more excited! Merryn suffered sexual abuse by a male neighbor at ages six to eight[2] and by a teenage cousin at ages 11 to 13. Two years later, though,whenErin was 11, she said her older teenage cousin started abusing her too. 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. The law was passed in a number of states,[7] with New York becoming the 37th in 2019. Nightmares and flashbacks continued, and she started harming herself. But then, it started happening behind closed doors at crowded family functions. 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. He cornered her in basements, bathrooms and bedrooms, always reminding her that she shouldn't bother telling anyone because no one would believe her. Alaska Dispatch: When you broke your silence and spoke up, was it frightening? I can remember that as if it happened yesterday. The next steps for the bill remain unknown. Erin Merryn is an author, activist, speaker, wife, and mom to young human children and a fur baby named Bailey. In Living for Today, readers find that Erin cultivated the strength to face her abuser . Erin said he would occasionally downplay what he did, but he never denied it. My name is Erin Merryn and I am a survivor of child sexual abuse. The shame is so overwhelming. There are thousands of accused sex offenders every year who are found not guilty living in our communities. Merryn advocates for sexual abuse victims. [3], "I was not educated on not keeping secrets if someone was hurting me. The yearly videos had educated me, so I knew to tell the stranger to keep his change. My abusers threatened me, and I believed them. These can seem like powerful forces to go up against. My sister and I were the only girls that he was around all the time. Choosing to forgive has led me to live for today. After an evening of playing with Ashley's dollhouse and watching The Little Mermaid, the girls went to bed in Ashley's room. [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. Merryn: Many don't realize that there are 42 million survivors in America of child sexual abuse. She also wantsteachers andstafftrained on the topic. How and when did you do it first? 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 path to justice for survivors of sexual assault is not an easy road. 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 . But many schools, she said, are using faculty social workers and psychologists because research shows its better taught by in-house staff then outside agencies. 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. The founder of Erin's Law. I was a senior in high school when I published my first book, my childhood diary where I kept my secrets of abuse with my cousin locked away. 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