Eleven-year-old Erin Merryn's life was transformed on the night she was sexually abused by her cousin, someone she loved and trusted. 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. 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. 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. I will fight alongside Erin and the advocates right here in our community until the day that this lifesaving legislation finally becomes law.. My sister and I were the only girls that he was around all the time. The Church Sex Abuse Scandals Around the World, Child-Abuse Case Reveals Vietnam's Lax Social Services, (Read why most child abuse goes unreported). He was given probation and counseling., Forgiveness is what set me free, she said. That happened until I was 13. Names were the only thing she changed. The first abuser, our neighbor, is someone I think who did this to any girl he had access to. Seconds later his hand was down her pants. Thats precisely why she does what she does. (Read why most child abuse goes unreported). Merryn: My resilience took a lot of psychological help growing up as a kid, teen, and young adult. From the time my son Jack was around 3, I began having the private parts talk with him. Read more about Erins Law at www.erinslaw.org, or about Erin herself at www.erinmerryn.net. Check out pictures, bibliography, and biography of Erin Merryn Merryn says her abuse ended when the family moved to a new neighborhood, Schaumburg, Illinois but she took her secret with her. 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. Info here from RAINNwww.rainn.org/news/president-signs-measures-support-state-action-prevent-and-address-child-sexual-abuseErin's media appearances have included Access Hollywood 2020Tamron Hall 2020HLN 2020CBS Morning Show 2019The Morning Blend 2019CNN 2018, HLN 2018, BUILD 2018 TLC Breaking the Silence Documentary TODAY show 2015, Nancy Grace 2015, ABC Nightline 2015, CNN 2015, Dr. Drew 2015, Inside Edition 2015, MSNBC 2015, Oprah Winfrey Network 2014, Windy City Live 2014, MSNBC 2013, FOX 2013, Katie Couric 2013, Oprah Life Class 2012, CNN 2012, Issues with Jane Velez Mitchell 2011, Oprah Winfrey Show October 2010, Montel Williams in April/July 2006, and Good Morning America in May 2006. By breaking your silence you are reclaiming your voice. I can remember that as if it happened yesterday. As I describe in my books, that center was the foundation of my healing. (See Gary Glitter's sex scandal.). Behind those numbers are the faces of innocent children whose childhoods were shattered by actions of evil and sickness. We simply cannot stand by and allow these innocent kids to feel ashamed and live in fear at the hands of their abuser. She was taught how to ride out a tornado, instructed in the eight steps for turning down illegal drugs, and told how to react to a friendly stranger who might try to abduct her. Merryn realized he had been molesting her sister too. Alaska's version of Erin's Law is currently under consideration by the Alaska State Legislature as House Bill 233. Now I have somebody I love and trust abusing me," Merryn said. My question to hotel or motel management would be, Why not tell? The parents can then share the information that the schools provided with anyone else in their household. 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. (2013) CNN Newsroom Self - Child Abuse Survivor. She published a book called Bailey No Ordinary Cat that showcases Bailey's unusually gentle interactions with her three children. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Chris Newlin - National Children's Advocacy Center Merryn says a few months ago, a local . Merryn is an author, activist, and founder of Erin's Law. Merryn: I reclaimed my voice in the Children's Advocacy Center. Im terribly concerned about that, said OBrien. We live in a society that doesn't want to even address this issue. It was so brutal I thought I was dying, Merryn, Glamour magazines 2012 Woman of the Year, recalled in an interview with the Asbury Park Press. Do you know if it was as healing for him as it was for you? Has anything particularly heartened you? Author of Stolen Innocence, Living for Today ABC News agreed to use her pen name and a false name for the man she says abused her. Have there been times in your life when haven't done well? ThediaryIkept my secrets locked away in, where I lost my innocence, I turned into a book mysenior year of high school called Stolen Innocence, because thats whathappened to me, Merryn said. 5 talking about this. Buccos legislation has received support from prominent victims rights advocates and support organizations, including Morris County advocate Richard Pompelio; and Patrice Lenowitz, founder and executive director of The Nurtured Parent Support Group for Survivors of Domestic Abuse, a Bergen County organization serving survivors and protective parents across the state. This fundraiser is organized by Chicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation (Caase). Do not use the phrases good touch and bad touch, says Merryn. "A Child's Best Defense Is Her Voice. Instead I am still running from Brian. [3], She graduated from Schaumburg High School in 2004[4] and earned a Bachelor of Social Work from Western Illinois University in 2008. How I wondered am I suppose to tell this stranger my pain when I am too ashamed to even talk in detail with my parents about it. 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. MORE: Moms and dads, can we talk about stranger danger? The case never went to trial, and Brian received some counseling, but no punishment. The same year I was born in 1985 was the first year the development of the first CAC in America was born in Alabama. It just turned into a screaming match between my mom and his mom, your son did this, your girls are liars, remembered Erin. Erin, now a 33-year-old wife and mother of two with one on the way, has spent the last eight years travelling to every state advocating for abused children. 25 $. He sat down in front of Merryn and put his finger to his lips signaling her to remain quiet. Innocence lost. This representative did get on her mic. She is the founder of Erin's Law, which is a group advocating for child sexual abuse awareness. You will be believed.. 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. I will come get you, I know where you live, Erin recalled. She is an activist against child sexual abuse. 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. Pat Quinn on Thursday signed a new law extending sexual abuse education in Illinois schools. 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. My mom was a mess, that day she probably cried for 10 straight hours, looking at my dad saying, we missed all the red flags, her grades, she was depressed, Erin recalled. No one would believe me, she recalls this man telling her. Merryn spoke to members of the Ohio Senate Primary and Secondary Education Committee of how she was sexually abused as a child. I sat next to a woman who I had just met moments earlier in the waiting room with my sister and mom. But what followed was depression,an eating disorder and a suicide attempt. 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." 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. [3], "I was not educated on not keeping secrets if someone was hurting me. 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." Are you afraid you will lose business? 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. How? Sharing those details can be difficult because as survivors, they bring us back to the place where we endured the horror. 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. 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. She came to me after I had been abused for two years and told me words I never expected to hear, that she too was being abused by the same family member. These can seem like powerful forces to go up against. 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. 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. The next day they told their parents. As a young child from 6 to 8 (years old), when the neighbor was abusing me, he warned me if I told anyone he would come get me; he knew where I lived. Unthinkable acts. The law was passed in a number of states,[7] with New York becoming the 37th in 2019. Ill never be abused again, its just all gonna go away.. Merryn said she was never taught to speak up about it, so shekept it a secret. That's where, 14 years ago, a then-13-year-old Erin Merryn first . She lives in Chicago with her husband and two daughters. Alaska Dispatch: Thank you for reminding us that abuse happens across all socioeconomic conditions. Merryn: There is so much shame and stigma attached to sexual abuse. Low near 30F. Her name is Erin Merryn and she is the founder of Erins Law. She urged kids to come forward if they or someone they know is being sexually abused. The abuse went on for years. Forgiveness set me free. She is an activist against child sexual abuse. Erin said the abuse stopped after her sister spoke up about her own abuse. It wasnt until Erin was 13 and found out the same thing was happening to her little sister (then age 11), that she decided she needed to speak out. Merryn: Yes. Sorry, there are no recent results for popular commented articles. Download it here. I always feared he would come back. Use safe and unsafe touch. Since going public 10 years ago, I have had no contact with him. I got five sentences to my five pages, but he responded and it opened a door of communication, 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. However, during the hearing Tuesday,Ohio State Sen. Sandra OBrien, R-Ashtabula, told Merryn that whileshe was sorry about what happened to her,there will always be evil in the world.. She shows no signs of fatigue, and she seems ready. Get hyperlocal forecasts, radar and weather alerts. "Growing up in the suburbs of Chicago, I met my best friend in kindergarten. 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. The voice that was silenced for so long. As an adult, she's reclaimed the voice her abusers tried to silence. She is the author of Stolen Innocence, Living for . 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. How do we lessen the control these pressures have on ourselves, our loved ones? (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune) During her quest,. But Ashley begged her not to say anything because Richard had told her they would "lose the house" if the girls told anyone. 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