The law was passed in a number of states,[7] with New York becoming the 37th in 2019. I am a survivor. 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. 46 reviews. Do you believe one word is more appropriate than the other? Thirty-seven states have passed Erins Law and Merryn has tried three times in seven years to get the bill passed in Ohio. Check out pictures, bibliography, and biography of Erin Merryn 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. 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. She has made it her mission in life to get this legislation passed in all 50 states. So far, her story has inspired many kids to speak up about abuse, and that has led to more predators put behind bars. 2019 TIME USA, LLC. 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. Childhood sexual abuse survivor turned author, speaker, child advocate and activist Erin Merryn is the founder and president of Erin's Law. Alaska Dispatch: In your quest to get Erin's Law passed in every state, you must have encountered some surprising remarks. 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. There are thousands of accused sex offenders every year who are found not guilty living in our communities. Realizing I was not a fault and learning to let go of the guilt. Her dad had to sit down and have a tough conversation with his sister, and denial followed. Sexually abused and raped from age 6-8 by an adult neighbor Erin was threatened to stay silent by her abuser. Read more about Erins Law at www.erinslaw.org, or about Erin herself at www.erinmerryn.net. The two families have ceased having contact. Forgiveness set me free. 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. Merryn kept her confusion to herself. Merryn advocates for sexual abuse victims. Erin Elizabeth was sexually abused from 11-13 by her older cousin. However, she said theabuseand rape continueduntil she was almost nine. 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. In just a few short years, she has already persuaded half the countryto pass similar versions of the law. 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. 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. (Read why most child abuse goes unreported). For so many years I stayed angry and bitter towards him. 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 . 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. Behind those numbers are the faces of innocent children whose childhoods were shattered by actions of evil and sickness. 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. This representative did get on her mic. I can remember that as if it happened yesterday. She is an activist against child sexual abuse. 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. This went on for a month before police got involved. MORE: Moms and dads, can we talk about stranger danger? And a third girl I know was also abused by him. Eleven-year-old Erin Merryn's life was transformed on the night she was sexually abused by her cousin, someone she loved and trusted. I think he knew that once he had us conditioned, we were easy targets. Bucco introduced Erins Law (S-2145) on May 2. 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 feel it would have given me the voice that these men took from me. Read more about Erin Merryn on her Erin's Law Facebook page and her website. As I describe in my books, that center was the foundation of my healing. He continued to abuse her on and off for nearly two years, she says, often at holidays and celebrations with her close-knit extended family. --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. But at age 11, Merryn's second nightmare began. The man had threatened Merryn that hed hurt her more if she told anyone. InDecember 2015 President Obama signed thefederal version of Erin's Law providing federal funding for schools to use. Merryn is now taking her fight to the state of Alabama. Lawmakers are in the dark about this. See her personal website at ErinMerryn.net. She was afraid she would be a burden to her cousin and that no one would believe her. 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 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. Merryn's experiences belie the more common parental fears of "stranger danger." 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? 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.. Every parent should do their homework before they send their kids anywhere. 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. Sunshine and a few clouds. 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 really open lawmakers' eyes when I share this with them. My second abuser, my cousin, came from a family of all boys. These can seem like powerful forces to go up against. Merryn: My resilience took a lot of psychological help growing up as a kid, teen, and young adult. It was the first time she supported a school mandate, and she retired later that year. Little did I know by moving I was getting that much closer to my next abuser. 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. So far 27 states have passed Erins Law since 2010. It happened again after we moved away, when a cousin started abusing me in my sleep when I was 11 years old. Alaska Dispatch: Would something like what you are proposing -- Erin's Law -- have helped you? She published a book called Bailey No Ordinary Cat that showcases Bailey's unusually gentle interactions with her three children. I always feared he would come back. [3], "I was not educated on not keeping secrets if someone was hurting me. I remember being so utterly confused.. The family pressed charges against Brian, who ultimately admitted to three counts of sexual abuse. [8] In November 2009, she published a second book, Living For Today, discussing earlier abuse by her neighbor. Learn More. 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. Have there been times in your life when haven't done well? 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. Visit sheriffalerts.com to find out if there are sex offenders in your area. He was the father of my best friend. 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. MORE: Monmouth U. faces federal sexual assault case. "A Child's Best Defense Is Her Voice. The abuse continued until she was almost 9. The abuse went on for years. 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. The Children's Advocacy Center of Northwest Cook County Illinois. 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. I just figured I told my mom, and I never had to talk about this again. All rights reserved. Merryn said the abuse only stopped because her family moved away. IG: The_Cat_Named_Carrot.Ellen is Carrot's biggest fan. With every passing week, and with every visit, Erin gets closer to her goal. 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! The day I left that place I took a piece of my life back, and that was my voice. That happened until I was 13. Two days later, their cousin was brought into the police station. In 2010, Merryn began a crusade to get Erin's Law passed across America. Merryn: Yes. She is the author of Bailey, No Ordinary Cat, Stolen Innocence, Living for Today, and An Unimaginable Act. Her older cousin sexually abused her from 11-13 years old. 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. Meetings between the two families were called to sort out the problem, to no avail. I tell parents the best way to talk to kids about this is through the swimsuit lesson, Merryn said. She knew exactly what she was doing by asking simple questions on my life, friends, what I did for fun, and my family. The school, community organization, day care center, etc. 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. By breaking your silence you are reclaiming your voice. 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. Merryn says her abuse ended when the family moved to a new neighborhood, Schaumburg, Illinois but she took her secret with her. (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. Get the best experience and stay connected to your community with our Spectrum News app. Sorry, there are no recent results for popular videos. I just wanted to get it over with.She was a forensic interviewer who had been trained to interview children who had reported abuse. She shows no signs of fatigue, and she seems ready. Merryn realized he had been molesting her sister too. JANESVILLE, Wis. 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erin merryn cousin brian