Statistics show that one in four girls and one in six boys are sexually abused before the age of eighteen.

There has been a lot written today about an electronic publication on Amazon’s US website. This book appears to be counselling it’s readers on how to be better pedophiles, how not to get caught. It is available for sale/download on their e-book reader. I say appears to be as I did not buy it, or attempt to view it. Reading the description and the comments purported to be from the author were enough to support my belief. This disgusts me, and many of the people that I have spoken to or seen comment on the issue.

There were, however two distinct responses to the story that also elicited a strong reaction. The first was the argument that attempted to look at the issue from a free speech perspective, and asked whether Amazon could/should censor this book without violating the author’s right to free speech. I do not believe that a decision by Amazon not to sell this book would equate with censorship.  It would state that the corporation found the content not suitable for sale.  Furthermore, I believe that counselling another to commit this crime, while not in itself a crime, crosses the lines of free speech. It is not an offence in Canada, but I think that it should be.

The other reaction that I felt garnered a response was the notion that people should have acted instead of speaking out. I disagree with this completely. That is not to say that I don’t think each and every person who is upset and outraged by this book should only speak out without also explicitly letting Amazon know. They should do both, and many, myself included, have. The part that troubles me is the belief that I should not be speaking out against this book and the decision to sell it by Amazon.

I know that my one voice lodging a complaint to this large corporation would be lost without the support of like-minded individuals. This support cannot be encouraged without some sort of mechanism for sharing concerns. I would not have heard about this book had someone not alerted me to its existance on the site. So I tweeted about it, and am writing about it and I hope that everyone I know does the same.

Statistics show that one in four girls and one in six boys are sexually abused before the age of eighteen.

I have seen the effects that this has on a child, a person, a family, a parent, a marriage, a life. Most of those who suffer at the hands of these predators suffer deep, raw and life long wounds. Some are never able to put back together their shattered lives. I cannot fathom how a company such as Amazon can have such a blatant disregard for the lives of those who are violated. If pulling this book stops one child from being abused, I will write a letter, mark that content as “inappropriate”, and will continue to talk about it until Amazon listens. If I don’t, I can’t bear to think that a child will be violated because of that publication.

I am but ONE voice, who needs to ensure that more voices are heard.