By Adam Brazeau
CORNWALL, Ontario – Erin Merryn’s diary of heartbreaking childhood traumas started as a secret outlet for her agony but now gives countless other children a voice.
Merryn, a victim of rape and incest starting at 6 years old, will not stop until all 50 states adopt Erin’s Law, mandating schools to teach children about sexual abuse awareness and prevention.
The 30-year-old Illinois resident shared her gut-wrenching story to a crowd of more than 600 people at the annual Children’s Treatment Centre’s Bike-A-Thon Plus kick-off breakfast at the Cornwall Civic Complex Wednesday.
“My childhood looked picture perfect, but there were secrets, secrets no children should keep,” said Merryn.
Years of heartbreaking traumas as a youth began at her first sleepover. That night she heard the bedroom door open and inside the doorway was her best friend’s uncle.
“I assumed this man was making sure we were both asleep, but that wasn’t the case. For the very first time in my life, this man came in the room and sexually abused me,” she said.
“Did I have the words to tell my parents the next day what this man had done? No. I had not been educated to speak up and tell.”
Merryn never spoke to anyone about the sexual abuse. Not her family or even her best friend.
“He told me to be quiet, and not to tell anyone,” she said. “So I listened to him because no one educated me on not keeping these types of secrets.”
The next time she was invited for another overnight stay, she immediately declined. A little while later, she was invited again, but this time a third girl would also be coming and Merryn felt strength in numbers.
As the trio was making shadow puppets on the wall, the door creaked open and suddenly the uncle, Merryn’s neighbour, entered the room.
“One by one he sexually abused us,” she said. “You see these perpetrators don’t just have one victim, as long as they’re getting away with it they have multiple victims.”
Merryn suffered the abuse until she was almost nine years old. That’s when her family moved. But the relocation didn’t take her to safety as she thought it would – it took her closer to a family member who then sexually abused her repeatedly between the ages of 11 and 13.
In her last year of high school, with the help she received from the Children’s Advocacy Centre, she found the courage to turn her pain into purpose, and self-published her childhood diary entitled “Stolen Innocence.” The book was soon re-issued by a major publisher.
CTC Bike-A-Thon Plus chair Don Fairweather said Merryn’s harrowing tale personifies what the Children’s Treatment Centre is all about.
“We provide free confidential counselling to children and youth who have been sexually or physically abused, and over the past 19 years we have averaged 120 clients per year,” said Fairweather.
The CTC has already received 52 referrals in the first quarter of 2015.
“If that were to continue for this year, we would actually have close to 200 children we’ll be serving – unfortunately, the need is there,” he said.
But there’s good news, too. The popular event raises upwards of $100,000. This year, the CTC Bike-A-Thon Plus takes place on Saturday, May 23 at the St. Lawrence College Cornwall campus.
There are 14 ways to participate including a car rally, bike-a-thon, walk-a-thon, Poncho’s Pony Pals activities, ceremonial walk, motorcycle ride, children’s activities (face painting and magic), ceremonial walk, seniors’ walk, family fun run, golf at Summerheight’s Golf Links, and Zumba Kids activities.
Find the entire schedule and detailed event information at www.ctc-sdg.com/events/bike-a-thon-plus-2015/.
For more information on Erin Merryn and Erin’s Law, visit www.erinmerryn.net.
