He was free, but the rage inside Erin remained. Children must be taught to tell a trusted adult if anyone touches their private parts. If someone ever does touch you in those areas, you tell immediately., Merryn suggests the books The Swimsuit Lesson and The Right Touch.. I was abused. Little did I know by moving I was getting that much closer to my next abuser. 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. 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 (Author) Format: Kindle Edition See all formats and editions Kindle $12.99 Read with Our Free App Paperback $16.10 35 Used from $2.70 5 New from $12.50 Eleven-year-old Erin Merryn's life was transformed on the night she was sexually abused by her cousin, someone she loved and trusted. Wow, I have a decision to make. I went to bed night after night crying into my pillow having nightmares, and keeping my secrets locked away in my childhood diary., Merryn found her voice at 13 when her younger sister said the words shell never forget: Brians gross!. But what followed was depression,an eating disorder and a suicide attempt. What do you think made him want to apologize, finally? This went on for a month before police got involved. Use safe and unsafe touch. Erin said the abuse stopped after her sister spoke up about her own abuse. The areas covered by your swimsuit are not for anyone to be touching, unless mommy and daddy are helping you with a bath. She is an activist against child sexual abuse. I just figured I told my mom, and I never had to talk about this again. 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! Erin Merryn Mar 2004 - Present18 years 7 months Chicago, IL Erin is an author, writer, and activist. Visit sheriffalerts.com to find out if there are sex offenders in your area. Merryn kept her confusion to herself. She is an activist against child sexual abuse. "(It) brings me back to remembering being six-years-old being abused. 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. Forgiving him did not mean what he did was right, she stressed. One day, a particular entry she wrote caught her eye. Chris Newlin - National Children's Advocacy Center The path to justice for survivors of sexual assault is not an easy road. 2023, Charter Communications, all rights reserved. ", Merryn's family, including her two sisters, moved to another neighborhood in the same town when Merryn was 8, and she stopped seeing Ashley. Child molestation is an epidemic that needs to end now. "Erin Merryn's Law," a bill that will create a task force to study child sexual abuse in West Virginia, passed the state Senate unanimously on Monday. Caught you off guard? 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. Now she's on a quest to make sure lawmakers across America hear what she has to stay. The Children's Advocacy Center of Northwest Cook County, Ill. (there are 900 of these centers across America in every state), helped give me the courage in my forensic interview after my sister and I broke our silence to tell what had happened. My goal in life is to give a voice to the voiceless and put these predators out of business, she said. Since going public 10 years ago, I have had no contact with him. Alaska Dispatch: When you broke your silence and spoke up, was it frightening? As an adult, she's reclaimed the voice her abusers tried to silence. I often say victims are those who are killed by their attackers. Here's How We Amplify It | National Children's Alliance", "Erin Merryn Fights for Law to Help Child Sexual Assault Victims", "Erin's Law: When the Abuser Is No Stranger", "State Senate Passes Erin Merryn's Law Aimed at Child Sex Abuse Prevention", "Survivor Recalls Alleged Incest in Book", "Child Sexual Abuse Survivor Gets Law Passed", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Erin_Merryn&oldid=1132623568, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 9 January 2023, at 19:15. You have permission to edit this article. This fundraiser is organized by Chicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation (Caase). Names were the only thing she changed. 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. So before CAC's a child brought to a police station could be filled with anxiety and fear that they are in trouble. 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. 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. COURIER/JOELLYN CURRY She knew exactly what she was doing by asking simple questions on my life, friends, what I did for fun, and my family. Unthinkable acts. Erin Merryn, 30, a child sexual abuse survivor and creator of the legislation, said schools generally fail to give young students adequate awareness and a voice on the issue of sexual abuse. It turned out cousin Brian was abusing Merryns little sister, too. Erin Merryn is the author of Stolen Innocence, Living for Today, An Unimaginable Act, Bailey No Ordinary Cat, and The Diary of a Cat Named Carrot. 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. Merryn: Many don't realize that there are 42 million survivors in America of child sexual abuse. The next steps for the bill remain unknown. Choosing to forgive has led me to live for today. 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. The fact that a motel is not telling families that sex offenders are living there should be a crime, Merryn said. 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. The first episode began on a warm May night in 1991. IG: The_Cat_Named_Carrot.Ellen is Carrot's biggest fan. When all you have ever been told by an abuser is to stay silent, no one will believe you, this is our secret, you learn to believe that, and (it) makes it extremely difficult to speak up about. 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. 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. Alaska Dispatch: Do you think most lawmakers meaningfully comprehend the issue of sexual abuse? 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. The man had threatened Merryn that hed hurt her more if she told anyone. Then something happened that no one saw coming: he confessed. Merryn: What caused me to come forward was unfortunately finding out that my little sister was also being abused. Sorry, there are no recent results for popular commented articles. My sister and I both left with stuffed animals and feeling like our secret was now in good hands. That is just (in) America. Erins Law soon caught on nationwide. It is my hope hearing my message today youll see the importance of what Im here to talk to you about, said Erin Merryn. "Erin's Law" is named after Schaumburg native and activist Erin Merryn. Forgiveness set me free. Erin Merryn (Author) 139 ratings Kindle Edition $17.99 Read with Our Free App Paperback $16.56 16 Used from $11.22 5 New from $45.35 Eleven-year-old Erin Merryn's life was transformed on the night she was sexually abused by her cousin, someone she loved and trusted. Victims are those who don't survive. "He told me, just like in the past by this other perpetrator, 'Erin, this is our . In 2013 Governor Quinn signed Erins Law mandating child sexual abuse education in all Illinois public schools. They dont warn us about our own family, they dont teach us that in school, her age 12 entry stated. (2012) Fox News Self - Author of 'An Unimaginable Act'. I can remember that as if it happened yesterday. These days hes almost 9 and I dont really tag along to play dates anymore, but every time I drop him off, I tell him, if you have to use the bathroom, lock the door and have privacy. 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. In 2013, Governor Quinn signed it into law requiring Illinois schools to teach it every single year. MORE: Cancer-surviving mom stays strong for her son. I left all the fragmented sentences, misspelled words, because I wanted readers to hear the voice of a young child.. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. The reality is, 93 percent of the time it is not strangers that are hurting kids. When she is traveling to state capitols or speaking engagements she is entertaining her 270,000Instagram followers that follow her famous cat. Sorry, there are no recent results for popular videos. The yearly videos had educated me, so I knew to tell the stranger to keep his change. 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. Merryn's experiences belie the more common parental fears of "stranger danger." The same year I was born in 1985 was the first year the development of the first CAC in America was born in Alabama. Erin Merryn is the author of three books about surviving incest, including "Living for Today." She also speaks nationally on the subject. See all See top. Instead I am still running from Brian. 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. After Bailey's passing, she adopted a kitten named Carrot. It is when they hear my story of how I was raped, and how my abusers controlled the situation by being the only ones talking to me about what was happening, that they "get it." 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]. As I describe in my books, that center was the foundation of my healing. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune) During her quest,. 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. 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. . So far, her story has inspired many kids to speak up about abuse, and that has led to more predators put behind bars. Was this just bad luck? The bill had already passed the House . Do I know the difference between the truth and a lie? One personal safety lesson learned at school that actually helped me in life was "stranger danger." "Alabama needs this law because just like everywhere else in America . 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. As a result, she has been interviewed by many major news organizations and TV programs beginning in 2006, on Good Morning America, Oprah, CNN, Today Show, Fox, Katie Couric, Nightline, TLC, OWN, MSNBC, People Magazine, Time Magazine, Glamour Magazine, USA Today, London Times, New York Times, Chicago Tribune, and dozens more local media. CAC The place Erin Merryn broke her silence The Children's Advocacy Center of Northwest Cook County Illinois 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 day I left that place I took a piece of my life back, and that was my voice. Please join Erin Merryn in her crusade to protect children from sexual abuse and donate to help her with her travel expenses today! Named by PEOPLE Magazine a HEROES Among us and one of fifteen women changing the world. We need to start teaching kids this, she said. Teaching kids the differences between safe and unsafe touch, safe and unsafe secrets, how to report this to a safe adult and to keep reporting it if your abuse does not end, said Merryn. But at age 11, Merryn's second nightmare began. Before . Pat Quinn on Thursday signed a new law extending sexual abuse education in Illinois schools. Do you believe one word is more appropriate than the other? Merryn: I reclaimed my voice in the Children's Advocacy Center. 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 . Forgiving him allowed me to move forward with my life and decide to no longer let this thing be something I should be ashamed of, no longer allowing it to be a negative in my life, but letting it be a positive.. She was abused. 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. 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. Eleven states have passed the legislation. The book is titled "Stolen Innocence." She is the force behind passing Erin's Law across America. 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 only message I got as a child came from my abusers and that was to stay silent or else, she said. 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. The parents can then share the information that the schools provided with anyone else in their household. She has made it her mission in life to get this legislation passed in all 50 states. Merryn worked with U.S. But when it came to being sexually abused, there was nothing. (2013) CNN Newsroom Self - Child Abuse Survivor. After enduring a childhood filled w. Instead I am still running from Brian. Survivors need to know they have nothing to be ashamed of. 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. As an adult, she's reclaimed the voice her. What are the most persistent knowledge gaps? Again, she was told to keep quiet, that no one would believe her if she said anything and that she had no proof. No one will believe you, Erin. CBS News' Reena Ninan visited a public school in Illinois to see how the school teaches kids about safe . I remember reading this thinking, they dont teach us that in school. Behind those numbers are the faces of innocent children whose childhoods were shattered by actions of evil and sickness. "A Child's Best Defense Is Her Voice. 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. When Erin Merryn was a child, she was sexually abused by two people she knew and trusted, including a family member. Its somebody they know and trust.. Erin decided at a young age to take a stand against evil and expose the silent epidemic of child sexual abuse in the spotlight. I got five sentences to my five pages, but he responded and it opened a door of communication, she said. She was honored for her efforts in 2012 as one of Glamour Magazines 2012 Women of the Year. 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. She told them that, growing up in Illinois, she had experienced tornado drills, fire drills and bus drills; was taught about stranger danger and eight ways to say no to drugs through D.A.R.E., but no one ever taught her how to protect herself from sexual abuse and what to do if a family member or friend molested or raped her. 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. Eleven-year-old Erin Merryn's life was transformed on the night she was sexually abused by her cousin, someone she loved and trusted. My name is Erin Merryn and I am a survivor of child sexual abuse. But nobody asked those important questions. You didn't just tell one person. Gov. [8] In November 2009, she published a second book, Living For Today, discussing earlier abuse by her neighbor. 2019 TIME USA, LLC. See her personal website at ErinMerryn.net. Merryn lay on blankets on the floor next to Ashley, who was in her bed. She lives in Chicago with her husband and two daughters. Read more about Erin Merryn on her Erin's Law Facebook page and her website. But only 1 in every 10 sexually abused children ever tell anyone about it. And for the next year and a half, repeatedly told me, This is our little secret. She wasn't always successful. Merryn: I have witnessed some lawmakers come in voting against the bill who got on their mic after hearing me testify and (told) me they had all planned to vote against this bill and that my testimony changed their mind. Erin's Law, which debuted in Illinois, is now in 37 states and mandates that public schools teach age-appropriate sex abuse prevention to grades as young as pre-K. Merryn said those lessons on . Erin wanted nothing more than to make him feel the hurt that she did. I pull out my sixth grade DARE card and tell lawmakers I knew the eight ways to say "no" to drugs and have never tried even a cigarette and I am nearly 30 years old. The shame is so overwhelming. Erin Merryn is author of Stolen Innocence, Living for Today, and An Unimaginable Act. Two of those children were my sister and I. 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. The look in this mans eyes, the color shirt he was wearing and the last thing he said to me, Dont you dare tell anybody. 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. [3], "I was not educated on not keeping secrets if someone was hurting me. Merryn suffered sexual abuse by a male neighbor at ages six to eight[2] and by a teenage cousin at ages 11 to 13. Her dad singled me out during the party. Well, something shocking happened. Look out for motels that might house sex offenders. 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. Jill Burke is a former writer and columnist for Alaska Dispatch News. 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. The revelation caused tension in the family. Have there been times in your life when haven't done well? 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. Families pressuring loved ones to stay quiet is not uncommon, but as I often like to tell survivors, by speaking up you are not only helping yourself heal; you will help save other children from experiencing this same horror at the hands of their abuser. Merryn said she testified four times for the task force. 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." 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. My second abuser, my cousin, came from a family of all boys. I came from a good home, two parents, good schools, safe neighborhood, etc. 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. 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. 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: I cover these two words in my second book, "Living for Today." There are thousands of accused sex offenders every year who are found not guilty living in our communities. It is currently passed in 37 states as of January 2021. The two families have ceased having contact. Merryn said she was never taught to speak up about it, so shekept it a secret. [5] 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. Her older cousin sexually abused her from 11-13 years old. But instead of telling everyone to vote against it, she told everyone to vote in support of this bill. Do you still stay in contact with him? 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. At age 11, Erin fell victim again. 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. The school, community organization, day care center, etc. Nightmares and flashbacks continued, and she started harming herself. Her courage breaking her silence allowed me to take a stand for both of us and be brave and tell her we can't keep this a secret, that we have to tell our parents. By speaking up even when family is against the idea, it is freedom for a survivor and allows them to reclaim a piece of their lives back. Says Merryn: "[Ashley] made me pinky promise not to say anything. As for Merryn, today shes married, the mother of an almost 2 year old, and expecting her second child in eight weeks. Merryn is now taking her fight to the state of Alabama. It was the first federal bill passed funding sexual abuse prevention education. In just a few short years, she has already persuaded half the countryto pass similar versions of the law. I remember being so utterly confused.. 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. Instead of putting their daughters through further emotional trauma of a criminal trial, Erins parents decided not to press charges. Stolen Innocencewas published soon after. tax-exempt 501(c)(4) non-profit organization. I also learned in group how to create a safe place to escape to when memories flooded my memory.While I was not ready at thirteen and fourteen to immediately share the journey of what all I went through because I was still too ashamed the Children's Advocacy Center laid the foundation in my healing to one day let that voice be heard. Her testimony was met with a standing ovation. Mar 22, 2018 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. He was the father of my best friend. She is the author of Bailey, No Ordinary Cat, Stolen Innocence, Living for Today, and An Unimaginable Act. Requiring personal body safety education in public schools. Im terribly concerned about that, said OBrien. I will come get you, I know where you live, Erin recalled. So far 27 states have passed Erins Law since 2010. Author of Stolen Innocence, Living for Today 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. Meetings between the two families were called to sort out the problem, to no avail. Erin said they just wanted to make sure their nephew got help. Because so often, people that are being abused do not report it until theyre in their 30s, 40s and 50s cause nobody ever gave them the message onhow tospeak up and tell, Merryn said. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. 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. Erin Merryn is a powerful speaker and advocate for countless, faceless children and adults in our country who have similarly suffered sexual abuse. It brings it all back to the surface. Illinois is the fifth state to pass Erin's Law since she took up the cause. 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. From the age of 11 to 13, I was repeatedly sexually abused at the hands of a family member, an older cousin, she said. 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 . Do not use the phrases good touch and bad touch, says Merryn. 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 just stared at the ceiling waiting for it to end." Did you have a helper or helpers in your life? She earned a master's degree from Aurora University in social work. How do we lessen the control these pressures have on ourselves, our loved ones? Sexually abused as a. 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. That happened until I was 13. 5 talking about this. Alaska Dispatch: When you decided to confront and start corresponding with your cousin, how did it go at first? will then mail or hand the parents or responsible adult family member the Megans Law information.
Scala Sancta Blood Stains, Articles E