The Right to Write.

"Am I allowed to write this?"

"Am I allowed to mention their name?"

"What if my family do not like what I have written?"

Three of the top questions I get asked as I guide individuals through the authoring process of their life story and passion projects.

The answer to the first question is always the same "You can write whatever you like in your own book, so long as you have evidence on hand to back up what you write, and you are prepared to stand by what you've written".

The second question comes with the answer "Why would you not be allowed? Who is controlling this information and who, other than yourself, is going to stop you?".

The third question always shows me the level of commitment someone has when sharing their story, because most people are more worried about hurting their family members than standing in a court room or going to prison for what they have written.

And depending on what the book is about, and who is involved with the storyline will depend on the answer.

When I wrote Pandora, the third book in The Sacral Series, I had to be very careful with the content I wrote and how much of the story I gave away because there are not many in the freediving community with Pan's story.

When I wrote the first three books I mentioned names without giving it a second thought as to the impact of what I wrote. That might sound careless and inconsiderate, but nothing I wrote was untrue or offensive.

Although, that said a private joke I had with my mum (which make her chuckle to herself when she read it) did offend a reader who had no qualms about contacting me and telling me how disrespectful I was to my mother in my first book Friday Bridge.

Exposing the corruption by teachers in Egyptian schools, as well as the government and police thugs in Walaahi again didn't worry me. Why would it? If the teachers had acted with honour and integrity then I would not have had anything to write about.

The rest of the book was covered in the news, and the personal journey was my journey to write about, and anyone who didn't like what I had written had the opportunity to discuss their dislikes with me.

As for the police corruption which I wrote about in Crossing The Line detailing the experience of my children and I being kidnapped for three days by Police Scotland, it should all be public record; and again, if the police had behaved according to the law, then they would not have anything to worry about.

Putting a member of the public in a police cell without questionning and shipping their children off to a foster home without informing anyone in their family - including their father - is never a good idea... especially when that person has not broken any law.

And this is where knowing the law and your human rights comes into play when being an author of a whistleblowing book or memoir about a family trauma, you get to write in confidence.

One of the reasons I am working towards my PhD in the field of Human Rights and Social Justice with the University of Oxford is so I can serve my clients at the highest level, protecting them against as many eventualities as possible which may arise from them writing their truth, which will help others who may be experiencing a similar situation.

In Article 6 of the UDHR it clearly states "Everyone has the right to recognition everywhere as a person before the law" which means we get to have our story heard, and the recognition of our experiences heard.

Sadly, in many countries around the world this right to be heard and given a fair trial in a court room is non-existent. When I stood before the courts in Scotland I was guilty in their eyes, and I had to fight to prove I was innocent - against laws which quite frankly are laughable in the areas of study I had to do.

Had I been found guilty for the crimes Police Scotland tried to charge with me, and then tried to bribe me into admitting to in exchange for dropping other charges, I would be sat in a prison cell right now rather than sat here at my desk in Colombia; and I would still have another 5 years of a sentence to go 'if I behaved myself'.

In Colombia, and other Latin American countries, you are guilty of whatever crime the police say you commit, and it is up to you to prove otherwise. For many of my black, Arab and Muslim friends around the world, this is also true for them, including in countries such as America, the UK and France.

In Article 7 of the UDHR it states "All are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of the law. All are entitled to equal protection against any discrimination in violation of this Declaration and against any incitement to such discrimination"...

... sadly this article does not extend to strong females who speak Arabic to their obviously foreign children in the West Coast of Scotland.

Nor does it extend itself to anyone the police and court rooms decide they don't like the look of, especially the poorer members of our communities.

Fighting back against the corruption can be a hugely costly experience, one that not many people are able to afford. I am still paying off legal fees four years later, and I did most of the case law preparation and case building against the police and Scottish Courts.

One of the many reasons why so many people admit to things they never did, and why the police and law courts get away with so much is because they are funded by the government and anyone who tries to fight back get long drawn out court cases and blockages at every turn until the civilian gives up.

Plus with millions in funds backing up the police and law courts, not to mention the soul less media puppets who pump the system's lies into the homes of people around the world as truth, having the strength to stand up and fight is not something many people have.

Hence why it is essential those of us who have the courage, the experience and the knowledge to share our experieneces, really have a duty to write our story.

We could be the difference between someone losing their freedom and spending it in prison or another kind of institution, or a child losing their parent and ending up in and out of the system for the rest of their days.

Keeping our mouths shut, and not discussing our experiences because we feel shame or guilt of some kind, or because we are afraid of what might happen, is exactly what the system relies on; as do the big corporate bosses and education systems around the world.

Now don't get me wrong, I know that not every teacher, police officer, lawyer and government worker is corrupt and unethical, but they are caught up in systems around the world which are riddled with corruption and often times they are put in a position of "Keep your mouth shut and keep your job, speak up and lose everything".

I could go on to state Articles 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12, but the Article I wish to highlight is Article 19: "Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers".

So if you have been thinking of writing a book exposing corruption within your organisation, or have experienced an injustice, trauma or abuse in any way shape or form, then just know there are people like myself who offer you the opportunity and guidance to write your book, giving you the opportunity to transform the situation into an act of service to others.

You will also find that whilst on this journey you will become even more empowered than you could ever imagine and there is nothing and no-one who will stop you from speaking your truth.

So, what truth's lie within you?

And how are you going to transform what happened to you into what happened for you?

Send me a DM if you want to explore sharing your story and bringing light to another person's darkness... and your own.

In the meantime, have a read up on the UDHR. You'll be glad you did.

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