Merryn didn't tell anyone until she was 13 and she suspected her sister was also being abused. Merryn's experiences belie the more common parental fears of "stranger danger." Innocence lost. 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. 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. My second abuser, my cousin, came from a family of all boys. 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. Survivors need to know they have nothing to be ashamed of. Her testimony was met with a standing ovation. Sponsored by Rep. Geran Tarr, D-Anchorage, HB 233 puts Alaska among the states considering "Erin's Law" in 2014. Alaska Dispatch: You were preyed upon not once, but twice (two different abusers during different stages of childhood). Erin wanted nothing more than to make him feel the hurt that she did. Usually, the abuse isnt at the hands of a stranger, rather someone they know and trust. Erin has been traveling state to state testifying to lawmakers to pass Erin's law for 7 years. Erin has spoken at over 250 CAC events.In 2008 she began writing legislators to require personal body safety be taught to kids in school. He was free, but the rage inside Erin remained. According to Merryn, every school gets the option to pick a Erins Law program, and have an outside agency teach. ThediaryIkept my secrets locked away in, where I lost my innocence, I turned into a book mysenior year of high school called Stolen Innocence, because thats whathappened to me, Merryn said. But nobody asked those important questions. She is an activist against child sexual abuse. Merryn: What caused me to come forward was unfortunately finding out that my little sister was also being abused. Merryn kept her confusion to herself. 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. But where were the eight ways on how to "get away and tell today?" Unfortunately for many survivors they never see their perpetrators held accountable. The path to justice for survivors of sexual assault is not an easy road. 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. Merryn spoke to members of the Ohio Senate Primary and Secondary Education Committee of how she was sexually abused as a child. I will fight alongside Erin and the advocates right here in our community until the day that this lifesaving legislation finally becomes law.. Download it here. After Bailey's passing, she adopted a kitten named Carrot. She was honored for her efforts in 2012 as one of Glamour Magazines 2012 Women of the Year. Immediately I thought I was being asked this question because she already did not believe me. Gov. Meetings between the two families were called to sort out the problem, to no avail. Last week the law passed in two more states, Virginia and Wyoming, bringing the total to 34. Bad things happen to children all the time. --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. And a third girl I know was also abused by him. Since going public 10 years ago, I have had no contact with him. What are the most persistent knowledge gaps? Those were just the number of children who broke their silence that year. Merryn travels the country advocating for children who are victims of sexual assault. He got us quiet and continued to get away with it. Pat Quinn on Thursday signed a new law extending sexual abuse education in Illinois schools. 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. I was keeping this secret with my best friend because he was also abusing her, Merryn said. Alaska Dispatch: Would something like what you are proposing -- Erin's Law -- have helped you? But then, it started happening behind closed doors at crowded family functions. Merryn says her abuse ended when the family moved to a new neighborhood, Schaumburg, Illinois but she took her secret with her. 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. Meanwhile, the survivor who came up with the idea aftersufferingher own personal horrors shared her story with senators Tuesday. The words of my cousin began haunting me. 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. Merryn, then 6, was excited about her first sleepover with her kindergarten classmate Ashley. She is an activist against child sexual abuse. Erin also included the correspondence between her cousin and herself, for readers to also hear the perpetrator's side. 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 . Her dad singled me out during the party. But both she and her sister did tell their stories. Erin Merryn testified Tuesday in an Ohio Senate committee about 'Erin's Law.' Erin Merryn is an author, activist, speaker, wife, and mom to young human children and a fur baby named Bailey. Alaska Dispatch: Silence is a powerful way in which sexual abuse is kept secret and is perpetuated. See all See top. As the abuse continued, and as she was forced to see her abuser over and over again in social situations, she struggled with . 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. Unfortunately, children who are abused once are at even higher risk of being abused again by someone else because they are vulnerable and easy to prey on. CBS News' Reena Ninan visited a public school in Illinois to see how the school teaches kids about safe . She wanted him to know how much his actions had affected her life. My abusers threatened me, and I believed them. In 2013, Governor Quinn signed it into law requiring Illinois schools to teach it every single year. Its somebody they know and trust.. As for Merryn, today shes married, the mother of an almost 2 year old, and expecting her second child in eight weeks. The abuse went on for years. 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. "He told me, just like in the past by this other perpetrator, 'Erin, this is our . I remember walking out into the parking lot and feeling this sense of relief.Seven months later I would return back for the first time since my interview to begin a group with other girls who were survivors in January 1999. Forgiving him did not mean what he did was right, she stressed. Alaska Dispatch: Thank you for reminding us that abuse happens across all socioeconomic conditions. The two families have ceased having contact. Please join Erin Merryn in her crusade to protect children from sexual abuse and donate to help her with her travel expenses today! Use safe and unsafe touch. How do you identify? He was the father of my best friend. 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. 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. Merryn said she testified four times for the task force. Merryn now. "A Child's Best Defense Is Her Voice. Author of Stolen Innocence, Living for Today "Growing up in the suburbs of Chicago, I met my best friend in kindergarten. (2012) Fox News Self - Author of 'An Unimaginable Act'. Names were the only thing she changed. I can remember that as if it happened yesterday. It was a detailed account of how an officer came to her school to talk about stranger danger. It turned out cousin Brian was abusing Merryns little sister, too. Instead I am still running from Brian. Merryn said the abuse only stopped because her family moved away. You didn't just tell one person. 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. MORE: Moms and dads, can we talk about stranger danger? Learn More. 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]. 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. Around the time we were getting ready to move away, my friend had a birthday party. Erin's Law, named after Erin Merryn, has passed in 36 states and is pending in the other 14. I feel it would have given me the voice that these men took from me. 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. 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. She is the founder of Erin's Law, which is a group advocating for child sexual abuse awareness. After describing the difference between the truth and a lie I was asked if I agreed to tell the truth that day. Merryn now had a duty as a big sister to protect her younger sibling. He cornered her in basements, bathrooms and bedrooms, always reminding her that she shouldn't bother telling anyone because no one would believe her. 35. 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. Known For. 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. What factors came together for you to be able to not only overcome what happened, but to also thrive? Was this just bad luck? Childhood sexual abuse survivor turned author, speaker, child advocate and activist Erin Merryn is the founder and president of Erin's Law. They dont warn us about our own family, they dont teach us that in school, her age 12 entry stated. Merryn says starting when she was six, she was sexually abused by a neighbor, then at 11 by an older cousin. There was one good thing about my sister coming forward, she said. The shame is so overwhelming. Thirty-seven states have passed Erins Law and Merryn has tried three times in seven years to get the bill passed in Ohio. I survived it and eventually learned how to thrive from it by breaking my silence and putting a face and voice on this silent epidemic. This representative did get on her mic. She is not ashamed of the sexual abuse she endured as a child and, instead, feels inspired to put a face and voice on childhood sexual abuse. I will not stop until children in all 50 states are protected from sexual abuse.". Erin Merryn, force behind Erins Law, tells her story at Metamora Township High School, Central Illinois Poetry Out Loud regional winners announced, Area students named to St. Olaf Colleges Dean's List, Fall archery hunters reach third-highest turkey harvest on record for season, FOP seeks applicants for new Peer Wellness program that will assist law enforcement officers in crisis, Local students make Carthage College dean's list, Local students named to Illinois Wesleyan University's fall 2022 Dean's List, Local students named to Trinity Christian Colleges fall 2022 Dean's List, Illinois Department of Revenue reminds eligible taxpayers to take advantage of Senior Citizens Tax Deferral Program, United Methodists form new church in Washington, District 52 proposes referendum on April ballot, Illinois natives REO Speedwagon return to the Illinois State Fair Grandstand stage, Interrupted Journey exhibition opens at Dickson Mounds Museum, Scots win 12 events at Roger Haynes Invitational, WCHS Panthers bring home All-State Honors, State Titles. Through her speeches and books, Erin is an inspiration to professionals working daily to fight child abuse. Erin's Law is the first US child sexual abuse prevention education law requiring children be educated in schools. Merryn was also the owner of the viral Instagram cat, Bailey, until he died in December 2018. She started by pulling out that little pink diary. 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? Read more In 2014 People magazine named her one of fifteen women changing the world along with Oprah and Hillary Clinton. We need to start teaching kids this, she said. 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. 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. 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. I also encourage parents to have a code word with their kids, she said. At first, it happened when she was babysitting her younger cousins and their older brother would arrive home before their mother. Instead of putting their daughters through further emotional trauma of a criminal trial, Erins parents decided not to press charges. 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!" Seconds later his hand was down her pants. She was abused. So far, her story has inspired many kids to speak up about abuse, and that has led to more predators put behind bars. 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. Erin Merryn (born February 2, 1985) is the author of Stolen Innocence, Living for Today, and An Unimaginable Act. The case never went to trial, and Brian received some counseling, but no punishment. Every six minutes a child is sexually abused in the U.S. One in every 4 girls and 6 boys will be sexually assaulted before the turn 18 over 90% by a family member or friend. Victims are those who don't survive. A judge did sentenced her cousin to probation and counseling. (Read why most child abuse goes unreported). Our Spectrum News app is the most convenient way to get the stories that matter to you. Erin Merryn is a powerful speaker and advocate for countless, faceless children and adults in our country who have similarly suffered sexual abuse. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune) During her quest,. I didnt want to talk to anyone about this. There are thousands of accused sex offenders every year who are found not guilty living in our communities. See her personal website at ErinMerryn.net. The law was passed in a number of states,[7] with New York becoming the 37th in 2019. 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. 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. I also tell parents don't give childrens private parts pet names. No one is allowed in the bathroom with you not even your friend. That happened until I was 13. I also give lots of insight and resources to parents in my third book An Unimaginable Act on warning sings to look for like bed wetting, wearing extra layers of clothes, avoiding a certain person, not wanting to be around them when they had no problem before, academic changes in school, depression, withdrawal, nightmares, aggression; acting out sexually, she said. Erin Elizabeth had cheerful holidays turned into a fight to protect herself from evil where she often lost. From the time my son Jack was around 3, I began having the private parts talk with him. This decision has brought her on a crusade across America to pass what is known as Erin's Law. Erin Merryn speaks with enthusiasm, rattling off the list of trips around the globe, the hours of research and meetings promoting her cause. The areas covered by your swimsuit are not for anyone to be touching, unless mommy and daddy are helping you with a bath. Silence Broken and Stigmas Shattered -- Help for Incest Survivors Is Here Fans of Erin Merryn's heart-wrenching debut memoir Stolen Innocence were left wondering at the end what would become of an emotionally fragile Erin after her confrontation with the reality of being a child of incest and molestation. CBN News Self - Children's Advocate. Behind those numbers are the faces of innocent children whose childhoods were shattered by actions of evil and sickness. I continued to write him because I wanted answers. 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. 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. ALBANY, N.Y. - The Independent Democratic Conference was joined today by Assemblyman Jeff Dinowitz, (D-Bronx), and nationally recognized anti-abuse advocate and survivor Erin Merryn to hail the passage of important legislation to stamp out child sexual abuse in New York. 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. Vermont State Board of Education has required it in schools since 2009. A place I went to with my eleven year old sister and mother. Erin Merryn is the author of three books about surviving incest, including "Living for Today." She also speaks nationally on the subject. 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. Erins Law is a tax-exempt 501(c)(4) non-profit organization. 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. The parents can then share the information that the schools provided with anyone else in their household. 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 . Do not use the phrases good touch and bad touch, says Merryn. "(It) brings me back to remembering being six-years-old being abused. The only difference is now I am running from him in my dreams" (Merryn 49). Who were they? Little did I realize, that by moving, I was getting that much closer to the next perpetrator in my life, she said. But when it came to being sexually abused, there was nothing. How did you find this voice? The founder of Erin's Law. Later, just weeks before her seventh birthday, she was raped by the same man. The day I left that place I took a piece of my life back, and that was my voice. The place Erin reclaimed her voice and began her journey to healing. You seem incredibly resilient. 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. Chris Newlin - National Children's Advocacy Center Alaska Dispatch: Do you think most lawmakers meaningfully comprehend the issue of sexual abuse? Eleven-year-old Erin Merryn's life was transformed on the night she was sexually abused by her cousin, someone she loved and trusted. will then mail or hand the parents or responsible adult family member the Megans Law information. "Erin's Law" is named after Schaumburg native and activist Erin Merryn. 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. Requiring personal body safety education in public schools. She was also afraid she would lose her innocence. The center provided me a safe place to connect with people who understood unlike my friends in school who did not understand what I had gone through. Merryn: There is so much shame and stigma attached to sexual abuse. All rights reserved. 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. "Alabama needs this law because just like everywhere else in America . (2016) Consider This Self - Author and Children's Advocate. 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. 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. Here's how to protect your kids from online predators. I really open lawmakers' eyes when I share this with them. Says Merryn: "[Ashley] made me pinky promise not to say anything. 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 . 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. By breaking your silence you are reclaiming your voice. 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. The family pressed charges against Brian, who ultimately admitted to three counts of sexual abuse. 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 threatened her to stay silent so she kept her secrets locked away in her childhood diary. 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. I found hope and healing there and people that believed me. Merryn travels the country bearing witness to what happened to her in hopes of encouraging states to enact laws requiring sexual abuse education in schools. Merryn worked with U.S. She knew exactly what she was doing by asking simple questions on my life, friends, what I did for fun, and my family. The only message I got as a child came from my abusers and that was to stay silent or else, she said. 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. He told me, "Your goal is to convince everyone else." Two of those children were my sister and I. Putting the lives of children in danger and possibly taking their innocence is worth it? House Bill 105 overwhelminglypassed the Ohio Housea year ago. 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. What if their family is pressuring them to just keep quiet and get on with their life? I got five sentences to my five pages, but he responded and it opened a door of communication, she said. 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. 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. Forgiveness set me free. 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 . 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. I came from a good home, two parents, good schools, safe neighborhood, etc. Should someone have known something was wrong sooner? Sorry, there are no recent results for popular videos. Alaska Dispatch: When you broke your silence and spoke up, was it frightening? It brings it all back to the surface. 4 mos. I sat next to a woman who I had just met moments earlier in the waiting room with my sister and mom. 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. 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Spoke to members of the Ohio Housea year ago, Erins parents decided not to anything.

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