Sex worker stabbed in chest - Dispute over price nearly cost woman her life

A scar in the centre of Mary's* chest serves as a harsh reminder of the perils that her job entails.

Less than a year ago, she had agreed a price of $6,000 with a man who was interested in her services. Selling her body is not something she is proud of, but it is all that she has known.

One weekend in July last year, Mary recalled being on the streets, hoping to make a sale. However, what happened next was something she never bargained for.

"This guy approach mi and ask mi how much for business, and mi tell him $6,000. Him agree to pay, and we go in the room," she said.

"When we reach in the room him say 'Mumma, is a grand ($1,000) mi have', and mi tell him seh mi can't work for that because each time mi a use the room is five bills ($500) mi pay," Mary said.

The would-be client was incensed. He declared to Mary that he had a firearm on his person and was not afraid to use it. However, he didn't expect Mary to stand her ground. She was not prepared to give up her body for less than the $6,000 that was agreed. He reacted with violence.

"I don't know what happen, but him start fight mi, and mi chest start bleed heavy," Mary revealed, her voice cracking. "Him stab mi in the centre of the chest and mi hand."

She said the owner of the brothel heard the commotion and attempted to intervene. He, too, was reportedly stabbed.

Mary said she was assisted to the police station, from which she was rushed to the hospital where she was admitted for three days. Her attacker was never caught.

The 28-year-old, who once dreamt of being a lawyer, said she was tricked into becoming a prostitute. She told THE WEEKEND STAR that, shortly before her 18th birthday, she responded to an advertisement where a massage parlour was seeking a masseuse.

A high-school drop-out, she was happy to find employment. However, it didn't take long for her to realise that her job was not about the rubbing of joints and muscles.

"Mi just couldn't get any work, so mi just settle for it," she said. "Dem time is $2,000 for sex, and the boss take $1,200 and me get $800."

Now, after a decade of prostituting herself, Mary said she has little to show for it, barely earning enough to survive each day. She said the lifestyle has left her drained and uncertain about her future, with no sense of stability or progress. Despite the hardships, she remains hopeful that a second chance could change the course of her life.

"I want to get a skill," she said. "Mi would want to go back to school because mi not really good at certain tings. Suh mi think, if mi go back inna the classroom, mi stand a chance of getting a better work," she said.

She added that she is determined to break free from the cycle and build something meaningful for herself. The constant struggle, she said, has only strengthened her desire to find a more stable and dignified path.

"Mi would even want to go on a farmwork programme suh mi can just elevate myself. Mi tired to walk from pillar to post. Right now, mi look inna mi life and mi don't see what mi achieve by selling mi body," she said.

Currently, Mary hangs out on the compound of an exotic club, where she spends her nights hoping to earn enough to get by. But business is unpredictable, and some nights bring little to nothing.

"Right now, mi want to leave this type of life but mi nuh know what fi do. Where mi staying now, mi not comfortable. Mi could stay around one a mi parents dem, but that environment draining and toxic," she said.

She explained that her earnings fluctuate sharply, making it difficult to plan or save.

"Sometimes mi make $10,000, and sometimes a just $2,500 mi get inna tips ... . Other times, mi might get one business and earn $6,000 or $7,000," she said.

*Name changed to protect identity