Merryn now had a duty as a big sister to protect her younger sibling. 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. Call it what it is: penis and vagina.. Two years later, though,whenErin was 11, she said her older teenage cousin started abusing her too. Later, just weeks before her seventh birthday, she was raped by the same man. The next day they told their parents. 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 (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. (2013) CNN Newsroom Self - Child Abuse Survivor. 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. Alaska Dispatch: When you decided to confront and start corresponding with your cousin, how did it go at first? Get hyperlocal forecasts, radar and weather alerts. Bad things happen to children all the time. Merryn saidif parents are not comfortable, the bill allows parents toopt their kids out of the education. My second abuser, my cousin, came from a family of all boys. Her testimony was met with a standing ovation. Her older cousin sexually abused her from 11-13 years old. Well, something shocking happened. [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. 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. How? With every passing week, and with every visit, Erin gets closer to her goal. 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. The only difference is now I am running from him in my dreams" (Merryn 49). So I stayed silent. Do I know the difference between the truth and a lie? More than 90 percent of children who are sexually abused know their attacker, Bucco said with conviction. The abuse went on for years. She is an activist against child sexual abuse. Have there been times in your life when haven't done well? It happened again after we moved away, when a cousin started abusing me in my sleep when I was 11 years old. Alaska Dispatch: Silence is a powerful way in which sexual abuse is kept secret and is perpetuated. 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. Do you believe one word is more appropriate than the other? Illinois is the first state by law to mandate Erins Law. Merryn spoke to members of the Ohio Senate Primary and Secondary Education Committee of how she was sexually abused as a child. 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" is named after Schaumburg native and activist Erin Merryn. Use safe and unsafe touch. It just turned into a screaming match between my mom and his mom, your son did this, your girls are liars, remembered Erin. See the sex abuse in Israel's ultra-orthodox community. 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. Two against one, somebody had to believe us.. Erin said the abuse stopped after her sister spoke up about her own abuse. Merryn: I reclaimed my voice in the Children's Advocacy Center. 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. I can spend the rest of my life hating him, or I can forgive him and do something positive about this thing that continues to be a negative thing in my life, 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. 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. By breaking your silence you are reclaiming your voice. Eleven states have passed the legislation. 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. Merryn said she testified four times for the task force. So far, her story has inspired many kids to speak up about abuse, and that has led to more predators put behind bars. What if their family is pressuring them to just keep quiet and get on with their life? Thats precisely why she does what she does. 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. 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. "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." She urged kids to come forward if they or someone they know is being sexually abused. Merryn successfully passed it in her state of Illinois in 2013 and has been traveling from one state capital to another testifying to state lawmakers to . (Read why most child abuse goes unreported). 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. 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.. 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. Eleven-year-old Erin Merryn's life was transformed on the night she was sexually abused by her cousin, someone she loved and trusted. She started by pulling out that little pink diary. No one would believe me, she recalls this man telling her. 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. The bill had already passed the House . Her friend slept through the assault, and Merryn remained silent. Author of Stolen Innocence, Living for Today In Living for Today, readers find that Erin cultivated the strength to face her abuser . 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. Read more about Erins Law at www.erinslaw.org, or about Erin herself at www.erinmerryn.net. The only education I ever received about sexual abuse was when I became a victim, and the abusers threatened bad things would happen if I ever told. Merryn was as bewildered as she was frightened. The ability to forgive both my abusers set me free and gave me my voice back and the strength to speak out for others. 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. Carrot has 281,000 instagram followers. At age 17, she attempted suicide. I tell parents the best way to talk to kids about this is through the swimsuit lesson, Merryn said. I was keeping this secret with my best friend because he was also abusing her, Merryn said. Merryn's family, including her two sisters, moved to another neighborhood in the same town when Merryn was 8, and she stopped seeing Ashley. No one is allowed in the bathroom with you not even your friend. I think he knew that once he had us conditioned, we were easy targets. 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." Alaska Dispatch: So often we hear about "helpers" who encouraged a victim to come forward, or reported for him or her. If you tell anybody, you will destroy our family, she said.. 2023, Charter Communications, all rights reserved. They dont warn us about our own family, they dont teach us that in school, her age 12 entry stated. Merryn: My resilience took a lot of psychological help growing up as a kid, teen, and young adult. The revelation caused tension in the family. "I just stared at the ceiling waiting for it to end." My sister and I told our parents the next day (and) we were referred to the Children's Advocacy Center by police detectives to be interviewed. Merryn is now taking her fight to the state of Alabama. 25 $. Merryn was also the owner of the viral Instagram cat, Bailey, until he died in December 2018. Donors may not deduct contributions made to Erins Law under IRC Section 170 (c) (2). 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. 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. It is currently passed in 37 states as of January 2021. Children are taught that the police are their to keep their communities safe and lock up the bad people. Forgiveness set me free. All rights reserved. Bucco introduced Erins Law (S-2145) on May 2. Get the best experience and stay connected to your community with our Spectrum News app. I continued to write him because I wanted answers. Erin says she believes everyone is born with a purpose and she has found hers through the events that have occurred in her life. "It's something that is going to be with me the rest of my life," Erin said. tax-exempt 501(c)(4) non-profit organization. I found hope and healing there and people that believed me. I finally got, after seven months, what I had been looking for: an apology. Through her speeches and books, Erin is an inspiration to professionals working daily to fight child abuse. Erin Merryn Mar 2004 - Present18 years 7 months Chicago, IL Erin is an author, writer, and activist. But her nightmare was just beginning. Erin's Law is the first US child sexual abuse prevention education law requiring children be educated in schools. Forgiving him did not mean what he did was right, she stressed. Thirty-seven states have passed Erins Law and Merryn has tried three times in seven years to get the bill passed in Ohio. 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. Erin Merryn is the author of three books about surviving incest, including "Living for Today." She also speaks nationally on the subject. The day I left that place I took a piece of my life back, and that was my voice. She wasn't always successful. 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. So, she forgave him. MORE: Cancer-surviving mom stays strong for her son. Known For. 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. When Erin Merryn was a child, she was sexually abused by two people she knew and trusted, including a family member. Seconds later his hand was down her pants. 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. 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. Vermont State Board of Education has required it in schools since 2009. I left all the fragmented sentences, misspelled words, because I wanted readers to hear the voice of a young child.. 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. They never came, so I stayed silent. We need to start teaching kids this, she said. 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. Instead I am still running from Brian. In just a few short years, she has already persuaded half the countryto pass similar versions of the law. All rights reserved. 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. 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. 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. 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 . IG: The_Cat_Named_Carrot.Ellen is Carrot's biggest fan. The two continued to correspond for seven months. 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. 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. The shame is so overwhelming. 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? These can seem like powerful forces to go up against. 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. See all See top. It would have given me courage to know that I didn't have to live in constant fear that they could hurt me, and hurt me even worse if I told anyone. This representative did get on her mic. How do you identify? Growing up in the suburbs of Chicago, I met my best friend in kindergarten. Behind those numbers are the faces of innocent children whose childhoods were shattered by actions of evil and sickness. 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." He cornered her in basements, bathrooms and bedrooms, always reminding her that she shouldn't bother telling anyone because no one would believe her. Illinois is the fifth state to pass Erin's Law since she took up the cause. Requiring personal body safety education in public schools. 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. 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. The cousin used the same tactic as her first abuser telling her no one would believe her and there was no proof. Those were just the number of children who broke their silence that year. But where were the eight ways on how to "get away and tell today?" So before CAC's a child brought to a police station could be filled with anxiety and fear that they are in trouble. Merryn says her abuse ended when the family moved to a new neighborhood, Schaumburg, Illinois but she took her secret with her. The reality is, 93 percent of the time it is not strangers that are hurting kids. The case never went to trial, and Brian received some counseling, but no punishment. Merryn: I was terrified. 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. Merryn: There is so much shame and stigma attached to sexual abuse. Erin has been traveling state to state testifying to lawmakers to pass Erin's law for 7 years. Gov. Names were the only thing she changed. The book is titled "Stolen Innocence." It was the first time she supported a school mandate, and she retired later that year. Here's a glimpse of her life and why she's on a quest for social change. Erin Merryn, a sexual abuse survivor, applauds Stewart for making her story public. A place I went to with my eleven year old sister and mother. She was afraid she would be a burden to her cousin and that no one would believe her. 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. Last week the law passed in two more states, Virginia and Wyoming, bringing the total to 34. Erin Merryn, the bill's namesake and a survivor of sexual abuse, said she is frustrated by the governor's slow response to sign it into law. Merryn believes more can be done to ensure children also learn how learn how to protect themselves from sexual predators. But what followed was depression,an eating disorder and a suicide attempt. Are you afraid you will lose business? Check out pictures, bibliography, and biography of Erin Merryn 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. She is the author of Stolen Innocence, Living for . 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. Lawmakers are in the dark about this. Merryn: What caused me to come forward was unfortunately finding out that my little sister was also being abused. Thinking she had finally escaped the endless sexual abuse, Merryn, the keynote speaker at the Sept. 26 luncheon, was once again sexually abused by a cousin beginning at the age of 11 at a family home in Lake Geneva. 7Erin Merryn is a Woman of the Year because"She's taken her personal crusade and turned it into a public one. 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