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Advocate Erin Merryn brings campaign for education against child sex abuse to Long Beach
By Eric Bradley Staff Writer
03/01/2013
LONG BEACH - A woman who was sexually abused as a child visited Long Beach on Friday to spread word about her nationwide campaign to get schools to teach child sex abuse education.
When Erin Merryn was 6, a neighbor raped her, and the abuse continued for almost three years until she moved away. A family member began molesting her when she was 11, and she stayed silent until two years later when Merryn's younger sister told Merryn she was being abused by the same relative.
Now 27, Merryn is championing Erin's Law, which mandates sexual abuse and abuse prevention curriculum in schools. Her home state of Illinois enacted the legislation in January.
"As a young child going to school, I learned tornado drills, bus drills, fire drills. I learned D.A.R.E., the eight ways to say no to drugs," Merryn said during an event at Long Beach Memorial Medical Center.
Where, Merryn asked, was education on who to tell if she was sexually abused or what to do if she was told to keep it a secret?
Her abusers threatened her to keep her quiet, telling her they would come get her at night, or that revealing the abuse would destroy her family. She has made it her mission to educate and empower children through her namesake law, with a goal of passing it in all 50 states.
Child sexual abuse is a silent epidemic in the United States, with one in four girls and one in six boys victimized, according to Angela Rose, founder and executive director of Promoting Awareness, Victim Empowerment.
While there are many high-profile national and local cases - such as the Jerry Sandusky scandal, abuse in the Boy Scouts of America and the Catholic Church and recent revelations of molestation by Los Angeles Unified School District teachers - there are more stories that are unheard and children who suffer in silence, said Rose, who was 17 when a convicted murderer on parole kidnapped her from a mall.
"It is up to us to protect them and to be their voice," she said.
In addition to Illinois, Erin's Law has been enacted in Indiana, Maine, Michigan and Missouri. The legislation has also been introduced in New York, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Georgia, Mississippi, Minnesota, New Mexico and Nevada, according to Merryn's website.
While California seems to be ahead of other states - sexual abuse education is written into state code - it is often not taught at schools, Rose said.
"What this is today is the start of a conversation," she said.
Councilman Dee Andrews, who hosted the event at Long Beach Miller Children's Hospital, said he helped arrange Merryn's visit after seeing her on television.
"I was amazed at how this young lady has turned a negative into a positive for so many people," Andrews said.
For more information on how to deal with and prevent child sexual abuse, go to PAVE | Shattering the Silence of Sexual Violence.
By Eric Bradley Staff Writer
03/01/2013
LONG BEACH - A woman who was sexually abused as a child visited Long Beach on Friday to spread word about her nationwide campaign to get schools to teach child sex abuse education.
When Erin Merryn was 6, a neighbor raped her, and the abuse continued for almost three years until she moved away. A family member began molesting her when she was 11, and she stayed silent until two years later when Merryn's younger sister told Merryn she was being abused by the same relative.
Now 27, Merryn is championing Erin's Law, which mandates sexual abuse and abuse prevention curriculum in schools. Her home state of Illinois enacted the legislation in January.
"As a young child going to school, I learned tornado drills, bus drills, fire drills. I learned D.A.R.E., the eight ways to say no to drugs," Merryn said during an event at Long Beach Memorial Medical Center.
Where, Merryn asked, was education on who to tell if she was sexually abused or what to do if she was told to keep it a secret?
Her abusers threatened her to keep her quiet, telling her they would come get her at night, or that revealing the abuse would destroy her family. She has made it her mission to educate and empower children through her namesake law, with a goal of passing it in all 50 states.
Child sexual abuse is a silent epidemic in the United States, with one in four girls and one in six boys victimized, according to Angela Rose, founder and executive director of Promoting Awareness, Victim Empowerment.
While there are many high-profile national and local cases - such as the Jerry Sandusky scandal, abuse in the Boy Scouts of America and the Catholic Church and recent revelations of molestation by Los Angeles Unified School District teachers - there are more stories that are unheard and children who suffer in silence, said Rose, who was 17 when a convicted murderer on parole kidnapped her from a mall.
"It is up to us to protect them and to be their voice," she said.
In addition to Illinois, Erin's Law has been enacted in Indiana, Maine, Michigan and Missouri. The legislation has also been introduced in New York, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Georgia, Mississippi, Minnesota, New Mexico and Nevada, according to Merryn's website.
While California seems to be ahead of other states - sexual abuse education is written into state code - it is often not taught at schools, Rose said.
"What this is today is the start of a conversation," she said.
Councilman Dee Andrews, who hosted the event at Long Beach Miller Children's Hospital, said he helped arrange Merryn's visit after seeing her on television.
"I was amazed at how this young lady has turned a negative into a positive for so many people," Andrews said.
For more information on how to deal with and prevent child sexual abuse, go to PAVE | Shattering the Silence of Sexual Violence.
