Schaumburg Live Work & Play - March/April 2009 - (Page 5) Once a victim, now an advocate by kimberly pohl It took years, but Erin Merryn found her voice. Now she’s made it her life’s work to help others find theirs. The Schaumburg woman, 24, is a survivor of sexual abuse. Beginning when she was 11, she was molested for two years by her 13year-old cousin. She lived in silence the entire time. “Society attaches a stigma and taboo to victims of sexual abuse,” said Merryn. “It’s very hush-hush.” Now she refuses to be silent. In 2004, she published “Stolen Innocence,” a collection of diary entries from ages 11 to 19 chronicling the abuse and healing process. Merryn, who’s getting her master’s degree in social work from Aurora University, also travels the country to tell her story at colleges, conferences, fundraisers and Children’s Advocacy Centers. Merryn is her middle name. She uses it as her pen name and when she speaks in order to protect her the identity of relatives, most of whom also live in the Schaumburg area. “I want to tell my story but not hurt them,” she said. live Safe haven What finally pushed Merryn to speak out at 13 was when she found out her cousin was also molesting her little sister. Consumed with guilt, she finally told her parents. It was soon after that Merryn first walked into the Children’s Advocacy Center of Northwest Cook County in Hoffman Estates. Surrounded by a sea of stuffed animals, she was interviewed by a specially trained social worker. She used a doll to show where her cousin touched her, told her story and answered questions like how to explain the difference between a truth and a lie. A detective hidden behind a one-way mirror watched the session - common practice march/april 2009 Page 5
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