Perhaps a more heart-warming story would be about one of Jamaica’s 27,497 20-year-old males who overcame the oppression of poverty, neglect and physical abuse and charted a wildly successful way through life, but the story about to be told isn’t that story.

This is the gritty tale of how Jeffrey Davis* became a sex worker at just 14 years of age.

The fourth of seven children, he grew up without either of his parents. Reminiscing about his childhood Jeffrey says, “I was born in Kingston, never rich, never have money, barely have mi mother wid me when me a grow up; mi never have no father at all.

His mother migrated in search of a better life, leaving her children in the care of an older sibling, who Jeffrey says “tek whole heap a disadvantage a me when me a grow up. Some a di time wi inna di house weeks and nuh eat nuttin”.

When other family members heard about the treatment he received they quickly intervened and sent him to Montego Bay to live with his grandmother.

“Mi nah say things get better, because [some] tings even get worse than how it used to stay, ca’ mi move come wid some family weh me nuh know.”

With tensions high, there was constant conflict between Jeffrey and his uncle’s offspring who were also in his grandmother’s care. He says, “So night-time, whole a we a pickney, so when wi ketch up and fight mi sleep outta door, because she say she don’t want mi come there come beat off her grandpickney dem.”

With his living situation not much improved, and no money to call his own, getting an education proved to be a huge challenge.

“Mi lef’ school a grade eight; when mi a go inna grade nine mi lef’ school. Some a di time when mi a go a school mi go a school fi dis week, mi go one time this week, sometime two time if mi can afford it.”

As of January 2017 the Statistical Institute of Jamaica reported that the male unemployment rate is at nine per cent. Technically, Jeffrey falls into this bracket, as he works in an undocumented field. Having no meaningful support system, no education, and no money to speak of, Jeffrey turned to meeting clients on websites for sex work. Jeffrey usually receives something of financial value in exchange for his services.

He is one of the few who do not profess to being harassed by the police, unpaid or underpaid for his services, or physically and mentally abused by family members, partners or employers. However, the reality is, he is in the minority.

In weeks gone by we have heard from other sex workers, such as Emily Voss and Peaches, who have shared tales of their lives as sex workers. Jeffrey, six years into his profession, is still very much at risk for loss of life and contraction of disease due to laws that do little to protect him from being victimised by law enforcement, clients and sexual partners. So the work and support from Jamaica AIDS Support for Life continues.

*Name changed to protect identity

Contributed by Jamaica AIDS Support for Life.