I remember it like it was yesterday, but I was only four years old. A friend of my father’s came into our house and handed my mum a wad of money. “Go into that room and play mummies and daddies,” she told me. I didn’t even know what that meant but I soon found out.
I wasn’t old enough to go to school and yet, after that man left, I was no longer a virgin. That was the start of my 22 years in the sex industry.
oy mother regularly sold me for extra money but I don’t think my father knew anything about it. He was my hero. Sadly, he died when I was 11 and the day they buried my father, I was kicked out of home – nobody loved me or wanted to care for me, even though I was still a kid. I was living on the streets of Auckland and I had to sell myself for money to survive. Despite that, I still managed to go to school.
Some people think I got into prostitution because I liked it but for me it was just a matter of survival. It’s not glamorous – some do it for the money and some because they like sex. For me, it was all about having enough cash to live.
From the age of 14 to 17, I worked in a parlour. Then I got a job as a chef down at the Viaduct, but it didn’t pay well, so I was also working as a prostitute on the container ships that would come into port. Sometimes, I’d have up to 10 clients a night and would walk off the ships with more than $2000.I spent it on clothes, alcohol and drugs. Yes, I also got into P – I used drugs to suppress the feelings of despair and shame that came from sleeping with men for money. I’m happy to say that I’m now drug-free.
I was religious about using condoms and nearly all of my clients were married men. The single guys are in the clubs trying to get it for free.It was always my dream to get off the game. I hated it. I remember being 13, sitting under Grafton Bridge in Auckland crying my eyes out because of the things I had to do. It made me feel worthless and I still carry those feelings today.
Six years ago I experienced a turning point. The Streetreach team found me on the street one day. At first I was resistant to their efforts to help but eventually I accepted Streetreach’s offer to help me get me work, first as a car groomer and, later, as a caregiver for the elderly.
Although I was mostly out of the sex industry, it was hard to leave street life completely. Until one night, when a man came up to me. He smiled and said, “Where am I taking you? Your home or mine? I’m not leaving you on the street!” Then he added, “Can I keep you?”
“Do you want to be my boyfriend?” I asked, surprised. I’d never really had a proper boyfriend before. “Yeah,” he replied. “Sweet,” I said. “You have to promise me one thing, though,” he said. I nodded and he continued. “You don’t come back here.”
He took me home and I haven’t been back on the street since. If it wasn’t for Streetreach’s help, though, I might still be a prostitute. Difficult as it is to tell, I’ve decided to share my story to help them find sponsorship for their Pamper Night, which treats street workers and women from difficult backgrounds to a night of luxury. They get their hair and makeup done and have beauty treatments like manicures. I remember when I first went. It made me feel like a million dollars.
I really want people to know that, in many cases, women feel like they’re forced into prostitution because of the hard circumstances they were born into. I have to admit that once I decided to leave the sex industry, it took a while to get used to not having so much money.
Temptation is always knocking at the door, especially when there’s something you really want. You know how easy it would be to go out and get it. But, of course, in another way it’s not easy at all.When I get itchy feet to go to places I shouldn’t, I ring someone like a friend or the Streetreach team. If I can’t find someone to talk to, I end up in my room crying – it’s like I’m fighting a demon.But when I look into my heart, I know I’m happier than I’ve ever been before. I can honestly say getting out of prostitution was the best move I ever made.
Related stories
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
