Home A Message from Dr. Merrick in Response to Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing Examining the FBI’s Handling of the Larry Nassar Investigation

Author: Melissa Merrick

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A Message from Dr. Merrick in Response to Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing Examining the FBI’s Handling of the Larry Nassar Investigation

September 16, 2021

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Courage. Bravery. Resilience. On Wednesday, September, 15, Olympic gymnasts McKayla Maroney, Simone Biles, Maggie Nichols, and Aly Raisman testified in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee regarding the FBI’s egregious handling of their initial reports of sexual abuse by then USA gymnastics team doctor, Larry Nassar. Their strength and courage is paving the way for other victims of sexual abuse to come forward, bring abuse into the light of day, and highlighting the gross failures of our youth serving systems in protecting children from harm. To these women and the countless other victims of sexual abuse, we see you, we hear you, we believe you, and we are doing all that we can to ensure that sexual abuse never occurs in the first place.

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A Message from Dr. Merrick Supporting the Health, Safety, and Well-being of Transgender and Non-binary Youth and Families

May 6, 2021

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Sixteen states are considering legislation that would restrict physicians from providing medically necessary gender-affirming care to youth, and one state recently enacted such a law. Several of these bills would also criminalize parents who affirm their children’s gender identity, defining such affirmation as child abuse. These laws stand in direct opposition to the evidence-based care recognized by numerous professional societies, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, American Medical Association, Endocrine Society, and American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

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A Message from Dr. Merrick on Shifting the Narrative to Child & Family Well-being

February 5, 2021

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2020 was a challenging year for many of us—for all of us—but I’m hopeful 2021 will be different…better. In this time of widespread change, we are acutely aware of the need to honestly assess where we’ve been and plot a deliberate course forward for ourselves, our organizations, and our communities. The choices we make and actions we take today will inform how we all flourish in the years to come.

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A Message from Dr. Merrick on Violence at the US Capitol

January 7, 2021

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Many of you, like me, had to try to explain to your children the news and troubling images that flashed across our many screens yesterday. We attempted to answer questions and allay fears about safety and freedoms that we take for granted in a democratic society. As if parenting during a global pandemic was not hard enough, parenting during such deeply disturbing events shook many of us to the core.

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A Back-to-school Message From Dr. Melissa Merrick

September 14, 2020

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In this special back-to-school monthly message, Dr. Melissa Merrick reinforces, “Whatever your child’s learning program—in-person, remote, or a hybrid of the two—there is no perfect answer, just the best solution you can provide right now…What’s important is how we as parents, friends, neighbors, teachers, and communities continue to create the safe, stable, and nurturing environments and relationships that enable our children to succeed and thrive.”

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A Message on Racism from Dr. Melissa Merrick

June 3, 2020

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For the last several days, emotions that have run high for generations have clearly reached a boiling point, here in Chicago and throughout the country. The understandable outrage, profound sadness, and deafening demands for change stemming from the death of George Floyd and countless others before him are feelings that we at Prevent Child Abuse America share. For those who grieve, we grieve with you.

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Dr. Melissa Merrick Responds to New Rules Under Title IX

May 12, 2020

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Recent news from the Department of Education regarding new rules under Title IX, anticipated to take effect by mid-August, raise serious concerns for victims of sexual abuse and misconduct in the higher education setting.

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Dr. Melissa Merrick Responds to Boy Scouts of America Bankruptcy Filing

February 20, 2020

Statements & Messages

Each year, countless children are sexually victimized by those responsible for their care, be it in the home, in communities of worship, or in youth serving organizations. We must do better!

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Dr. Melissa Merrick Responds to New York Times Articles on Child Sexual Abuse

October 4, 2019

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To thrive, children require relationships and contexts that support their healthy development in safe, consistent, and age-appropriate ways. Daily headlines remind us that all too many children, at the hands of those responsible for their care—be it family, friends, coaches, and/or faith leaders—have their rights violated through acts of violence. A recent series of articles in the New York Times highlighted the enormity of the problem of child sexual abuse victimization. Last year alone, 45 million images and videos of child sexual abuse were identified online, double the number from the previous year. Despite having done this work for decades, statistics like this continue to unsettle me. We have such a long way to go in our prevention efforts because we know that for every existing image there are multiple other children and youth being victimized in similar ways.

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A Message From Dr. Melissa Merrick on Child Separations at the U.S. Border

August 26, 2019

Statements & Messages

Recent reports have made clear that children continue to be separated from their parents and caregivers at the southern U.S. border, despite an official end to the Administration’s zero-tolerance policy. By our government’s own definition, these actions constitute undeniable child abuse. Prevent Child Abuse America’s mission is to prevent the abuse and neglect of every child. As such, we implore the President and legislators to work together to change this practice now.

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Author: Melissa Merrick

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