Stopping Abuse in Ohio | News, Sports, Jobs

After seven years, Erin Merryn has finally seen the passage of Erin’s Law in Ohio. According to a report by WCMH, Ohio is the 38th state to pass the bill requiring schools to teach K-12 students how to identify and report signs of sexual abuse.

What a shame it took so long. But even now, the bill passed only after some tweaks were made. State Sen. Sandra O’Brien, R-Ashtabula, wanted an amendment that requires law enforcement officers to train teachers before they provide prevention instruction. According to the news station, O’Brien said she was afraid of the potential for “grooming or losing the innocence of our children.”

One wonders whether it has occurred to O’Brien that “grooming” and taking away “the innocence of our children” is precisely what sexual abusers do.

While we can’t go back and help the children who have suffered during the seven years since Merryn first started talking to Ohio lawmakers about the law, perhaps there is hope that now teachers will have the tools to empower more children to speak out against –and stop — their abusers.