Special to The Collegian

The Lorain County Community College Enactus Team is looking for support in their mission to help make Erin’s Law part of Ohio legislation. Enactus will be hosting a meeting on Feb. 15 at 11 a.m. in the Spitzer Conference Center to further discuss this issue.

Erin’s Law was created by Erin Merryn: a girl who was sexually abused while growing up and did what many children would do in a similar situation—she kept it a secret. As an adult Erin wanted to change this behavior in children and crafted a way in which children would learn to speak up if they are being hurt or touched inappropriately.

The focus of Erin’s Law is to incorporate education into pre-kindergarten through 5th grade to teach children to speak. Education is also important for teachers and officials to recognize the signs of child sexual abuse. The Enactus team feels that this initiative will have a positive impact for the state of Ohio and reduce the amount of children who are being sexually abused.

Enactus, formerly known as Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE), became involved as part of their mission as an international, inter-collegiate student organization. They are a community of student, academic and business leaders committed to using the power of entrepreneurial action to transform lives and shape a better, more sustainable world. LCCC Enactus works to create and present programs that will impact and change lives.

Enactus members did research into child sexual abuse and found that every six minutes a child is sexually abused—in homes, schools automobiles and more. They also learned that one in four girls and one in six boys are sexually abused before the age of 18. The team members found the statistics to be staggering. In an attempt to take action to reduce these statistics in their home state, they conducted some research and came across Erin’s Law.

Currently Erin’s Law has been unanimously passed in five states. Enactus members hope to help it succeed in Ohio, but need support to help move forward. The meeting at Spitzer will help by bringing together those interested in supporting Erin’s Law to help protect the children of Ohio.

To RSVP for the meeting, or for more information, contact Amanda Hoover, Enactus president, at ahoover@lorainccc.edu. For more details about Erin’s Law visit www.erinslaw.org.