Shocked at homophobic sex video

THE EDITOR, Sir:

There is a currently a video in circulation of three young Jamaican boys lying on the floor, outside what looks like a garage or an outhouse. The boys are only wearing their underwear, which have been pulled down, and they are lying intimately with each other. The boys seem to be preteen and the scene appears to be sexual. In the video, the ‘man’ recording is shouting derogatory, homophobic terms at them very aggressively.

The video has clearly gone both viral and global, as I have seen it here in the United Kingdom. This perverted ‘man’ could easily have ruined three boys’ lives. He is using the video to shame them, condemning their behaviour in the footage, then circulating it to expose them. I hope that every effort is made to similarly shame this man for creating and sharing an explicit recording of the aforementioned children.

Based on the recorder’s lack of understanding, decency and morals, I fear his aggression towards them could have resulted in an attack after filming.

I want to know the following:

1. Are the children in the video alive and safe?

2. What is being done to support and protect the three boys in the video?

3. Are they being offered legal aid and advocacy?

4. Will they receive help from any child/youth service and be offered counselling?

5. What happened after the video was taken?

6. Has the man who recorded the video been identified and prosecuted for creating and distributing child pornography?

7. What repercussions will this man suffer?

These boys are incredibly young and I imagine this was simply them exploring their sexuality. The fact that their actions could easily be interpreted as them being homosexual, however, makes me even more concerned for their safety. Based on what I have read, I understand that an LGBTQ youth in Jamaica is more at risk of facing violent and sexually violent attacks.

SIAN CAMERON