Erin’s Law

Erin’s Law was founded by Erin Merryn, a survivor of child sexual abuse. From the ages of 6-8, Erin was sexually abused by an adult neighbor, and later by an older cousin from the ages of 11-13. Due to her experience, Erin Merryn advocated for states to pass Erin’s Law, requiring all public schools to use age-appropriate curricula to teach children how to tell on anyone who touches or attempts to touch them inappropriately. Prior to Erin’s Law, most prevention policies that had been passed to protect children only required states to have sexual offender registries and notification policies. However, these policies did not teach children how to protect themselves and seek help, which Erin felt was a more pressing matter.

Erin Merryn became a policy entrepreneur, fighting for Erin’s Law to be passed in every state. According to Vallett (2021), Erin was an effective policy entrepreneur due to her knowledge of the harmful effects of child sexual abuse and her willingness to share the information with others. Merryn began visiting states and speaking to their legislatures about the law, often visiting states more than once. Her persistence played an important role in the passing of Erin’s Law.

Erin’s Law was first passed in Illinois, mandating “all public elementary schools in Illinois to create policies to implement sexual abuse prevention programs” (Anderson, 2014, p. 196). Once the law was passed in Illinois, Merryn continued to advocate for her law in the other 49 states.

In December 2022, Ohio passed Erin’s Law, becoming the 38^th state to pass the law. In Ohio, Erin’s Law requires that all public schools in Ohio implement prevention-based child sexual abuse programs. As summarized by the Ohio Alliance to End Sexual Violence (2021), all Ohio school districts, community schools, and STEM schools are required to provide age-appropriate, annual instruction on child sexual abuse prevention for students in kindergarten through sixth grade. These schools are also required to provide age-appropriate instruction on sexual violence prevention for students in grades seven through twelve. Schools may develop their own programs with support from the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce. Teachers and other professionals are required to receive professional development on child sexual abuse training.

With the passing of Erin’s Law, Ohio schools have been providing child sexual abuse and violence prevention since the 2023-2024 school year. With continued education for students and parents, it is the hope to put an end to sexual violence.