Give Children a Fighting Chance - Protect the Children of New York

NEW YORK - June 17, 2013 - PRLog -- “Erin’s Law will give children a fighting chance, a voice, and the tools to help protect themselves. It should be passed in all 50 states. Common Sense. It’s as simple as that.” Actress, Julianna Margulies

New York, NY– Childhelp (http://www.childhelp.org/) and Erin Merryn are making a major push in the FINAL WEEK of New York State’s legislative session to earn final passage of Erin’s Law (http://www.erinslaw.org/). Erin’s Law, bill number A.661A will be voted on Monday, June 24, 2013.

Erin’s Law, which has already passed the State Senate, would require all New York public schools to teach students about how to prevent and stop childhood sexual abuse. Childhelp’s Speak Up Be Safe is leading the country in this crusade with their prestigious and recognized prevention education curriculum. Let’s stop the Jerry Sanduskys’ of this world and pass Erin’s Law. *Sandusky trial one year anniversary is this month.

Seven states have already passed Erin’s Law, including Arkansas, Illinois, Maine, Indiana, Michigan, Mississippi and Missouri. Despite the overwhelming passage of Erin’s Law in the NY State Senate each of the last two years, the NY State Assembly has so far failed to bring this measure up for a vote. With only two weeks left in the legislative session, Erin, as well as celebrities nationwide, is calling on the Assembly to act now and to pass Erin’s Law.  

About Erin Merryn:

Erin suffered sexual abuse (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sexual_abuse) at the hands of a male neighbor at age’s six to eight and from a teenage cousin at ages 11 to 13. Erin told her parents about the abuse from her cousin only after her sister confided in her that she had also been abused by the same relative. The family pressed charges, and the cousin eventually confessed to three counts of child sexual abuse.

Erin Merryn has since become a crusader for sexual-abuse victims, and actively encourages others to speak out about their own survival. She published her diary (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diary) detailing her cousin's abuse and her own recovery, relapse and reconciliation in book form as Stolen Innocence in 2005 In November 2009; she published a second book, Living For Today, discussing earlier abuse by her neighbor. Beginning in 2010, she launched a campaign to pass Erin’s Law, legislation requiring that all schools make sexual abuse prevention a part of their curriculum. Since that time, seven states have adopted Erin’s Law.

This fall, Erin will introduce Childhelp’s Speak Up Be Safe (http://www.speakupbesafe.org/) curriculum. Speak Up Be Safe is the primary child abuse prevention education program in the United States.  Childhelp (http://www.childhelp.org/), has taken on the nation’s leading awareness and crusade to Capitol Hill to shatter the silence and offer alternatives, such as Childhelp’s Speak Up Be SafeTM (http://www.childhelp.org/programs/entry/speak-up-be-safe/) (SUBS) curriculum for grades 1 through 6. It will equip children with skills to arm themselves from abuse in its various forms as well is via technology like “sexting,” internet predators and cyberbullying.

About Childhelp:

Since 1959, Childhelp (http://www.childhelp.org/) has brought the light of hope and healing into the lives of countless children as a leading national non-profit organization dedicated to helping at-risk children. Childhelp's programs and services include residential treatment services, children's advocacy centers, therapeutic foster care, group homes and child abuse prevention, education and training. Childhelp (http://www.childhelp.org/) created the Childhelp National Day of Hope®, held each April during National Child Abuse Prevention Month that mobilizes Americans to join the fight against child abuse.