She is an activist against child sexual abuse. No one would believe me, she recalls this man telling her. Unfortunately for many survivors they never see their perpetrators held accountable. Erin Merryn (born February 2, 1985) is the author of Stolen Innocence, Living for Today, and An Unimaginable Act. Named by PEOPLE Magazine a HEROES Among us and one of fifteen women changing the world. As I often tell people, our innocence was stolen, (our) trust taken, but the one thing we can reclaim as survivors is our voices. Two of those children were my sister and I. Erin Merryn from Elgin, Illinois, was just weeks shy of her seventh birthday when she was raped by an adult neighbor. 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. How do we lessen the control these pressures have on ourselves, our loved ones? You will be believed.. Have there been times in your life when haven't done well? He threatened her to stay silent so she kept her secrets locked away in her childhood diary. The first episode began on a warm May night in 1991. 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]. Before . 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. . She is the founder of Erin's Law, which is a group advocating for child sexual abuse awareness. It turned out cousin Brian was abusing Merryns little sister, too. Erin also included the correspondence between her cousin and herself, for readers to also hear the perpetrator's side. 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.. Merryn travels the country advocating for children who are victims of sexual assault. Eleven-year-old Erin Merryn's life was transformed on the night she was sexually abused by her cousin, someone she loved and trusted. You have permission to edit this article. 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's family, including her two sisters, moved to another neighborhood in the same town when Merryn was 8, and she stopped seeing Ashley. The first abuser, our neighbor, is someone I think who did this to any girl he had access to. The day I left that place I took a piece of my life back, and that was my voice. Here's how to protect your kids from online predators. Senator Gillibrand on the federal version of Erin's Law to give federal funding to the law, and in December 2015 President Obama signed the federal version of Erin's Law under the Every Student Succeeds Act. She lives in Chicago with her husband and two daughters. Thirty-seven states have passed Erins Law and Merryn has tried three times in seven years to get the bill passed in Ohio. Merryn says starting when she was six, she was sexually abused by a neighbor, then at 11 by an older cousin. Alaska Dispatch: Would something like what you are proposing -- Erin's Law -- have helped you? The fact that a motel is not telling families that sex offenders are living there should be a crime, Merryn said. Erin Merryn was an innocent child of six when her best friend asked her to sleepover. Erin Merryn is the author of three books about surviving incest, including "Living for Today." She also speaks nationally on the subject. Get hyperlocal forecasts, radar and weather alerts. After her parents decided to move Erins abuse ended but only brought her that much closer to her next abuser, an older teenage cousin who lived down the street from her. 2022 Anchorage Daily News. (2012) Fox News Self - Author of 'An Unimaginable Act'. Merryn is now taking her fight to the state of Alabama. Erin is a mom to three little girls. Merryn advocates for sexual abuse victims. Her friend slept through the assault, and Merryn remained silent. 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. Merryn kept her confusion to herself. Here's a glimpse of her life and why she's on a quest for social change. Erin said he would occasionally downplay what he did, but he never denied it. 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 voice that was silenced for so long. 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. In December 2015, President Obama signed the federal version of Erin's Law providing federal funding toschools to provide this education. Immediately I thought I was being asked this question because she already did not believe me. 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." Merryn said the abuse only stopped because her family moved away. What factors came together for you to be able to not only overcome what happened, but to also thrive? House Bill 105 overwhelminglypassed the Ohio Housea year ago. High near 60F. I got five sentences to my five pages, but he responded and it opened a door of communication, she said. Behind those numbers are the faces of innocent children whose childhoods were shattered by actions of evil and sickness. They dont warn us about our own family, they dont teach us that in school, her age 12 entry stated. Erin has appeared in People Magazine, Glamour Magazine, Time Magazine, The New York Times, Time Magazine, New York Post, The London Times, USA Today, Chicago Tribune, Daily Herald, among others. "I didn't understand what was going on," she says. EN RU CN DE ES. At age 11, Erin fell victim again. When Merryn eventually confided in Ashley about what had happened, her friend was not surprised; in fact, the scene was depressingly familiar to her. He was given probation and counseling., Forgiveness is what set me free, she said. 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. 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. After enduring a childhood filled w. In the end, he was given seven years of probation, 1,000 hours of community service, he attended a two-year sex offender program, and couldnt come within 100 feet of Erin or her sister. (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. 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. Forgiveness is what set me free. CBN News Self - Children's Advocate. But her nightmare was just beginning. From the age of 11 to 13, I was repeatedly sexually abused at the hands of a family member, an older cousin, she said. Merryn was also the owner of the viral Instagram cat, Bailey, until he died in December 2018. 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? Maryland is the latest state, joining the crusade last month. 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. ABC News agreed to use her pen name and a false name for the man she says abused her. The abuse continued until she was almost 9. If you tell anybody, you will destroy our family, she said.. 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. Merryn: There is so much shame and stigma attached to sexual abuse. "Alabama needs this law because just like everywhere else in America . Little did I realize, that by moving, I was getting that much closer to the next perpetrator in my life, she said. What if their family is pressuring them to just keep quiet and get on with their life? 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. Every other headline horrifies the public with another predator taking not just advantage of a child but everything from a child. Again, she was told to keep quiet, that no one would believe her if she said anything and that she had no proof. 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! She explained to her cousin that she didnt want to publish it out of revenge, rather to help the millions of other sexual assault survivors. And a third girl I know was also abused by him. Im glad he gets body boundaries and safety and Ill be pounding it into his head as long as I can. Merryn now had a duty as a big sister to protect her younger sibling. 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. She shows no signs of fatigue, and she seems ready. What once caused her shame, and something she never wanted to talk about, she now found herself wanting to turn it into a book. In 2013 Governor Quinn signed Erins Law mandating child sexual abuse education in all Illinois public schools. 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. She is an activist against child sexual abuse. 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. Growing up in the suburbs of Chicago, I met my best friend in kindergarten. 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. Lawmakers are in the dark about this. My goal in life is to give a voice to the voiceless and put these predators out of business, she said. The law was passed in a number of states,[7] with New York becoming the 37th in 2019. 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. Merryn now. 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. 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. will then mail or hand the parents or responsible adult family member the Megans Law information. Erin, a Chicago-area native, first introduced the legislation in Illinois, and the bill was given her namesake. Child molestation is an epidemic that needs to end now. But where were the eight ways on how to "get away and tell today?" 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. EN. Those were just the number of children who broke their silence that year. MORE: Moms and dads, can we talk about stranger danger? 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!. 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. 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. Do I know the difference between the truth and a lie? 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. Author of Stolen Innocence, Living for Today "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." My parents believed me and my cousin Brian confessed to the police, she said. 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. Visit Amazon.au's Erin Merryn Page and shop for all Erin Merryn books. She has now dedicated her life to protecting our nations children. MORE: Monmouth U. faces federal sexual assault case. 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. 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. How? She also wantsteachers andstafftrained on the topic. It allowed me to go on this mission to be a face and voice for millions by letting go of hatred and instead turning pain into a purpose. The path to justice for survivors of sexual assault is not an easy road. In 2010, Merryn began a crusade to get Erin's Law passed across America. 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. It just turned into a screaming match between my mom and his mom, your son did this, your girls are liars, remembered Erin. Her testimony was met with a standing ovation. Has anything particularly heartened you? Statistics show that one in four girls and one in six boys will be sexually abused by the age of 18. I tell parents the best way to talk to kids about this is through the swimsuit lesson, Merryn said. 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. (See Gary Glitter's sex scandal.). The cousin used the same tactic as her first abuser telling her no one would believe her and there was no proof. 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. Later, just weeks before her seventh birthday, she was raped by the same man. Erins Law is a tax-exempt 501(c)(4) non-profit organization. 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. She broke down and cried and said Erin's Law could have saved her as a child, but instead she only got the message from her abuser, who she knew, and stayed 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. 5 talking about this. 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. 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. My second abuser, my cousin, came from a family of all boys. My sister and I were the only girls that he was around all the time. 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. What's your advice for sexual abuse victims who may want to come forward, but who feel the abuse is better kept secret or forgotten? I remember reading this thinking, they dont teach us that in school. "A Child's Best Defense Is Her Voice. The founder of Erin's Law. My name is Erin Merryn and I am a survivor of child sexual abuse. Alaska Dispatch: Do you think most lawmakers meaningfully comprehend the issue of sexual abuse? Visit sheriffalerts.com to find out if there are sex offenders in your area. My abuse first happened at weeks shy of my seventh birthday by a neighbor it went on until age 8 and a half. 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. Merryn: I reclaimed my voice in the Children's Advocacy Center. The Children's Advocacy Center of Northwest Cook County Illinois. (Read why most child abuse goes unreported). The case never went to trial, and Brian received some counseling, but no punishment. Erins Law soon caught on nationwide. She has made it her mission in life to get this legislation passed in all 50 states. Illinois is the first state by law to mandate Erins Law. 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. From the time my son Jack was around 3, I began having the private parts talk with him. So I stayed silent. The yearly videos had educated me, so I knew to tell the stranger to keep his change. 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. Erins ongoing abuse with her friends uncle was over. 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. I was told repeatedly by my cousin that I had no proof, that he would deny it, that no one would believe me. He was the father of my best friend. 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. Are you afraid you will lose business? 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. I will fight alongside Erin and the advocates right here in our community until the day that this lifesaving legislation finally becomes law.. "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. Merryn: Yes. Alaska Dispatch: Thank you for reminding us that abuse happens across all socioeconomic conditions. 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. It happened again after we moved away, when a cousin started abusing me in my sleep when I was 11 years old. The instruction will be provided by a school nurse who has completed professional development sexual abuse and assault awareness and prevention. 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. Check out pictures, bibliography, and biography of Erin Merryn Merryn: I cover these two words in my second book, "Living for Today." 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. Stolen Innocencewas published soon after. Erin wanted nothing more than to make him feel the hurt that she did. Download it here. 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. 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. Her dad had to sit down and have a tough conversation with his sister, and denial followed. Realizing I was not a fault and learning to let go of the guilt. Merryn didn't tell anyone until she was 13 and she suspected her sister was also being abused. The two families have ceased having contact. MORE: Cancer-surviving mom stays strong for her son. How did you find this voice? Instead I am still running from Brian. Therapists (and) an amazing school psychologist in high school really helped me heal. The parents can then share the information that the schools provided with anyone else in their household. Why is it so difficult to talk about? Merryn said she testified four times for the task force. Partly cloudy. Putting the lives of children in danger and possibly taking their innocence is worth it? Donors may not deduct contributions made to Erins Law under IRC Section 170 (c) (2). She was afraid she would be a burden to her cousin and that no one would believe her. After an evening of playing with Ashley's dollhouse and watching The Little Mermaid, the girls went to bed in Ashley's room. My abusers threatened me, and I believed them. Call it what it is: penis and vagina.. 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. Look out for motels that might house sex offenders. Childhood sexual abuse survivor turned author, speaker, child advocate and activist Erin Merryn is the founder and president of Erin's Law. Sunshine and a few clouds. 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. Caught you off guard? Merryn said she was never taught to speak up about it, so shekept it a secret. Erin Elizabeth was sexually abused from 11-13 by her older cousin. Did anything make you an attractive target, or particularly vulnerable? I continued to write him because I wanted answers. 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