Marnie Grundman
Bio
Runaway Advocate|Expert|Speaker Marnie Grundman is the author of MISSING: A True Story of a Childhood Lost. She has been featured on Television & radio shows such as Breakfast TV, Global News & NewsTalk 1010. www.MarnieGrundman.com
Stories (14/0)
Sexy Small Talk
How many times have you been to a party or a small get-together where the topic of sex has come up? Seemingly innocent questions like “when did you lose your virginity” or “how old were you when you had sex for the first time?” can (and often do) land really hard for a sexual assault survivors.
By Marnie Grundman5 years ago in Viva
Cyntoia Brown Will Never Be Free
Cyntoia Brown was released from prison yesterday, yet she is far from free. She will always be the survivor of rape, of trafficking, and the girl who had to take a life to survive. She will carry with her the triggers that are born of abuse and a childhood that never was.
By Marnie Grundman5 years ago in Criminal
Child Abuse Prevention
Sometimes preventing child abuse doesn’t come from calling a hotline. Sometimes preventing child abuse starts with taking a deep breath, and following the path of most resistance… it comes from breaking the cycle, and beginning the heart-work of repairing one’s self.
By Marnie Grundman5 years ago in Families
Nothing Bad Happens Behind Pretty Doors
This why so many children end up on the streets; unprotected and alone. Children who run come from all different types of homes. Many of them come from middle to upper income households. Somehow we feel that these children are less likely to be suffering abuse… bad things don’t happen behind pretty doors. The truth is that child abuse knows no boundaries. Abuse doesn’t take up residence in a home because of how big or small it is… Abuse doesn’t know the difference between cash for groceries or food stamps.
By Marnie Grundman6 years ago in Criminal
We Lived in an Apartment Complex Sauna
Every now and again I search for the girl that took me under her wing when I lived on the streets so many years ago. Lawrie was a huge part of my life for a short period of time. It might have been 6 months give or take, but it felt… feels like 10 years. I don’t remember how we met, I only remember that she became my “family” in an instant; I even took on her alias last name making us official cousins to anyone who would ask. We were 2 girls, 14 and ? on the inside, 19 and 24 on the outside. We lived homeless floating between cocaine houses and apartment complex saunas.
By Marnie Grundman6 years ago in Humans
The Real Reason Why We Aren’t Asking the Department of Health and Human Services #WhereAreTheChildren
As our eyes and hearts are drawn to the plight of the ~2000 immigrant children separated from their parents, we are continuing to fail our missing and abused foster children. It isn’t newsworthy if we aren’t able to take a pot shot at Trump or his cronies. The public cares more about #WhereIsMelania, who is living the high life in her gold encrusted penthouse, than they do about the safety and well being of THOUSANDS upon THOUSANDS of foster children in their own backyard.
By Marnie Grundman6 years ago in The Swamp
How Does This Grab You?
I have written and re-written … re-thought this article over and over again. I've been trying to figure out how to dive in and more importantly unravel the feelings that a man who crossed the line on a date caused. As a victim/survivor of sexual assault I don’t know if how I feel and felt about the moment he went in for a grab is a “normal” feeling. I feel a sense of frustration at not knowing how my reaction and feeling would have been different had I never been victimized; I guess I will have to tackle this article on two fronts.
By Marnie Grundman6 years ago in Viva
Odd Girl Out...
Aside from the abuse itself, the most difficult … painful thing to live with is the loss of the family I grew up with; the only people who have known me since the day I was born. Beyond the lack of validation as they maintain relationships with my abuser (my mother) I am ostracized my only window into their world is Facebook; at times I allow myself bear witness to all that I am not - and will likely never be included in; that’s the dark-side of social media.
By Marnie Grundman6 years ago in Families
The #MeToo Gift
#NoMoreShame I love that idea, that hashtag… I really do. Do you hear the “but” coming? BUT: I have an issue with the slogan I love, the slogan that I am living on the outside and trying to live on the inside. Is there really such a thing as #NoMoreShame?? Can it really be achieved? I feel this strange sort of pressure to comply and act as though I have already achieved it—but I won’t do that, no matter the pressure, as I know it defeats the purpose… my purpose.
By Marnie Grundman6 years ago in Viva
Monsters under Your Child's Bed
According to the FBI, 1 in 5 children ages 10 — 17 are solicited online. Do you know 5 children? One of these four girls was a victim of sex trafficking. The other three are sex traffickers. Can you guess which is which? If you can't how would a child be able to know the difference between a new friend and someone who means them harm? Predators are everyday-looking people, they are the 'monsters' under the bed.
By Marnie Grundman6 years ago in Criminal