FORWARD BY CLAUDIA B. MODIE
(AUTHOR OF HYBRID)
As a mother of three boys, I have experienced the impulse to
lull myself into a false sense of security with regards to sexual abuse. After all, it's girls who are most at risk
right?
Statistically this appears to be the case; however, since
boys are less likely to tell, these statistics are somewhat skewed and far from
reliable.
The sad fact is our children, regardless of sex, are being
exploited. It happens in our places of
worship, our schools, and most disturbingly in our very own homes.
No amount of money, physical location or parental vigilance
for that matter, can shield us from the predators lurking in the human
jungle. These hunters are not motivated
by survival; they prey on our children merely to satisfy their own perversions. And until we declare open season on these
vile sub-humans, our children will remain at risk.
I came across Losing the Hate on a website, which enables
writers’ to critique one another. As is
common, I planned on reading a few chapters, making my comments, and moving
on. Instead, I read it in one afternoon.
Never having experienced such an emotional reaction to a
book, my need to reach out to the author became a compulsion, and I acted on my
instincts. We became fast friends, and
despite his living in England
and my residing in America,
not a day has passed since without our speaking. The Atlantic
has only managed to separate us in a physical sense.
I only mention this because, other than the seven years it
took Sye to write Losing the Hate, I have been privileged to share his journey
in the evolution of this work.
There have been many frustrations on the road to getting the
book to its present state, primarily because it is difficult for Sye to
re-visit the horrific events of his past, but there have also been other
emotional issues to contend with.
Not long before publication, Sye received a critique in
which another author accused him of having "enjoyed" his abuse, even
going on to say, "he was just afraid to admit it." These comments
were made by a woman who wrote a memoir on her experiences with incest. And although her words were hurtful and
ignorant, they did serve to clarify the importance of bringing this book to
print.
If these attitudes are so deeply ingrained that even victims
of sexual abuse "blame the victim," belittling their suffering based
on gender, only serves to perpetuate continued abuse.
In fact, we may inadvertently be placing our male children
at greater risk by making them a more appealing target. Especially when the likelihood of being found
out is lessened by the stigma attached to admission.
We have to allow boys to feel they will be equally supported
in these appalling circumstances.
Men must be encouraged to speak out without being accused of
"enjoying it," or for fear of being falsely labelled homosexual.
I am extremely proud of Sye for having the courage to make
Losing the Hate public.
To continue reading please click on the links below:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Losing-the-Hate-ebook/dp/B004BDOV0M/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1366466148&sr=8-1&keywords=losing+the+hate
http://www.amazon.com/Losing-the-Hate-ebook/dp/B004BDOV0M/ref=sr_1_2_title_0_main?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1374466131&sr=1-2
This is Simon's own story - in his own words - of the horrific abuse he suffered from the age of ten, and the consequences it had on his life. it is a shocking, no holds barred account of how his life was changed forever by a teacher he trusted, and respected and who should really have known better...