Jordan

I grew up in a house where violence was normal. My father beat my mum and myself. I watched him drag her up the stairs, slam doors, scream at her while I stood frozen. As a child, I didn’t know what to do except hide. The sound of my mum crying is still burned into me.

Then came the abuse. A family member I trusted, someone who was supposed to look after me used me. She called it “our secret,” told me I was special, told me I wanted it. I was only a child. I didn’t even understand what was happening. I tried to tell adults, but they laughed, or said I was confused.

That destroyed me. It ripped away my childhood. It left me with nightmares, flashbacks, panic attacks, shame, and guilt that was never mine to carry. It left me suicidal. For years, I thought my life had no worth because no one cared enough to stop it. At the age of 19 I was diagnosed with Complex PTSD.

I finally opened up and reported it but the police did not take it seriously and said no further action, I’m still fighting for justice to this day, and my own brother told me i should of kept silent but i will not even if it means having no family i can not let this happen to any other person.

But Silence protects abusers not survivors. And I refuse to be silent anymore.

That’s why I created Unheard, a film based on my own experiences and on the stories of so many other men. Before we even started filming, the script won “Best Short Script.” That showed me there are people ready to listen. People who care.

I’m trying to turn my pain into something bigger than me. Into a voice. Into a reason for people to look at male survivors differently.

If you’re a man reading this and you’ve been through something like this, it was not your fault. You are not weak. You deserve to be heard. You deserve to live.