Merryn, then 6, was excited about her first sleepover with her kindergarten classmate Ashley. 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. COLUMBUS, Ohio The Ohio Senate is considering a bill to teach elementary, middle and high school students how to protect themselves from sexual predators. 2023, Charter Communications, all rights reserved. Visit sheriffalerts.com to find out if there are sex offenders in your area. No one will believe you, Erin. Merryn advocates for sexual abuse victims. "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." The only message I got as a child came from my abusers and that was to stay silent or else, she said. Merryn was as bewildered as she was frightened. tax-exempt 501(c)(4) non-profit organization. The parents can then share the information that the schools provided with anyone else in their household. The girls were brought to a Children's Advocacy Center where they had to tell their stories to complete strangers, something Erin wasnt looking forward to at all. Erin Merryn is an author, activist, speaker, wife, and mom to young human children and a fur baby named Bailey. More than 90 percent of children who are sexually abused know their attacker, Bucco said with conviction. She has made it her mission in life to get this legislation passed in all 50 states. Check out Erins third book, An Unimagiable Act. This book describes Erins journey across America to get Erins Law passed and resources for survivors, parents, and educators. It would be many more years until that voice would become the strong, confident woman that I have become. Erins Law encourages research based curriculum, Merryn said. It turned out cousin Brian was abusing Merryns little sister, too. Of course I was asked what I was referring to and I said my cousin Brian has been doing bad things. 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]. Merryn: I was terrified. Alaska Dispatch: So often we hear about "helpers" who encouraged a victim to come forward, or reported for him or her. Alaska Dispatch: Let's talk about two words we hear a lot when covering sexual abuse stories: victim and survivor. Erin wrote that letter. Erin's Law, named after Erin Merryn, has passed in 36 states and is pending in the other 14. We simply cannot stand by and allow these innocent kids to feel ashamed and live in fear at the hands of their abuser. 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. Unfortunately for many survivors they never see their perpetrators held accountable. 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. Again, she started having trouble in school, becoming distant and withdrawn. Then, after seven months of back-and-forths, he wrote a heartfelt apology to Erin and asking for her forgiveness, but also understanding if she couldnt forgive him. Do not use the phrases good touch and bad touch, says Merryn. Who encouraged you to keep talking, to keep fighting? Erin Merryn, a sexual abuse survivor, applauds Stewart for making her story public. InDecember 2015 President Obama signed thefederal version of Erin's Law providing federal funding for schools to use. The family pressed charges against Brian, who ultimately admitted to three counts of sexual abuse. The shame is so overwhelming. I remember being so utterly confused.. As an adult, she's reclaimed the voice her. She is an activist against child sexual abuse as well as the founder of Erin's Law, which requires public schools to teach children personal body safety in order to prevent child sexual abuse. What once caused her shame, and something she never wanted to talk about, she now found herself wanting to turn it into a book. Erin wanted nothing more than to make him feel the hurt that she did. Instead I am still running from Brian. Ill never be abused again, its just all gonna go away.. Author of Stolen Innocence, Living for Today Partly cloudy. Merryn believes more can be done to ensure children also learn how learn how to protect themselves from sexual predators. According to Merryn, every school gets the option to pick a Erins Law program, and have an outside agency teach. 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. Call it what it is: penis and vagina.. The brilliant minds behind putting in place a center that had a home away from home feeling to give children a sense of security and comfort.At thirteen was the age I walked through the CAC. Get the best experience and stay connected to your community with our Spectrum News app. They talked for hours about what had happened, and the next day told their parents about their shared horror. However, Merryn said this time the perpetrator was an older cousin, someone she had viewed as a brother figure. She also wantsteachers andstafftrained on the topic. The instruction will be provided by a school nurse who has completed professional development sexual abuse and assault awareness and prevention. Merryn: This wasn't bad luck. Was this just bad luck? All rights reserved. There was one good thing about my sister coming forward, she said. But her nightmare was just beginning. The fact that a motel is not telling families that sex offenders are living there should be a crime, Merryn said. Named by PEOPLE Magazine a HEROES Among us and one of fifteen women changing the world. She published a book called Bailey No Ordinary Cat that showcases Bailey's unusually gentle interactions with her three children. Only this time, the person behind it was her older cousin, a nice young man with a bright future to whom she looked at as the brother she never had.. Here's how to protect your kids from online predators. Alaska Dispatch: When you decided to confront and start corresponding with your cousin, how did it go at first? By breaking your silence you are reclaiming your voice. What factors came together for you to be able to not only overcome what happened, but to also thrive? It is currently passed in 37 states as of January 2021. I found (the) freedom and peace I had longed for. All rights reserved. Merryn lay on blankets on the floor next to Ashley, who was in her bed. 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. As I often tell people, our innocence was stolen, (our) trust taken, but the one thing we can reclaim as survivors is our voices. I found myself locked in bedrooms, basements, bathrooms, a car, garage and repeatedly assaulted by my cousin.. But what followed was depression,an eating disorder and a suicide attempt. These monsters are living in all of our backyards., (Tip: Offender Locator is a great app to have on your smart phone.). That is just (in) America. While these inhumane animals may live among us, there is one sexual abuse survivor who has made it her mission to empower children about these evil, sick people and teach them about body safety. High near 60F. One personal safety lesson learned at school that actually helped me in life was "stranger danger." 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! Erins ongoing abuse with her friends uncle was over. 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. 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. Erin is a mom to three little girls. 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. will then mail or hand the parents or responsible adult family member the Megans Law information. (Josh Rultenberg/Spectrum News 1), California Consumer Limit the Use of My Sensitive Personal Information, California Consumer Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, The Ohio Senate is considering a bill to teach elementary, middle and high school students how to protect themselves from sexual predators, Erins Law is named after Erin Merryn who was sexually abused as a child, Thirty-seven states have passed Erins Law and Merryn has tried three times in seven years to get the bill passed in Ohio, House Bill 105 overwhelmingly passed the Ohio House a year ago. My second abuser, my cousin, came from a family of all boys. Now I have somebody I love and trust abusing me," Merryn said. Merryn now. And for the next year and a half, repeatedly told me, This is our little secret. Now she's on a quest to make sure lawmakers across America hear what she has to stay. 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. After Bailey's passing, she adopted a kitten named Carrot. Merryn kept her confusion to herself. Erin Merryn's memoir is about how her life was transformed on the night she was sexually abused by her cousin, someone she loved and trusted."I thought when the abuse stopped I could move on with my life. Erin's Law is the first US child sexual abuse prevention education law requiring children be educated in schools. 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. I am so confident I will get this law passed in all 50 states, because God has already told me it will happen. 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