The father, who was reunited with his son after crying about him being missing, is now seeking professional counselling for the child. The distraught father, Jeffery Walker of Greenwich Town in St Andrew, initially reached out for public assistance to locate 12-year-old Javoy, who he said ran away from home for three weeks.
His son’s absence not only brought him to tears but also led to sleepless nights as he sank into depression. The message for public aid was done through a social media video, in which he said the police had offered no assistance in finding the child. The touching plea prompted more residents to search for the child, who was found Saturday afternoon in a neighbouring community.
Video of residents making the discovery quickly circulated, and the child was returned home. However, his father fears that his son will run away again, as the child reportedly has a history of doing. Walker, speaking to the media, said he wants his son to receive professional help.
“Mi want little help with him because mi know as mi carry him go school him gonna go again,” he told the Jamaica Star. He noted that with Hurricane Melissa at Jamaica’s doorstep, he wants his son to remain home, where he can protect him even though their house is a dilapidated one-bedroom board that has a baldly leaking roof.
Walker said that he is interested in getting one of the New Social Housing Programme homes and said he has land in St Thomas that he can build it on. The place where he currently resides is owned by someone else, and they were given notice to leave by February.
According to Walker, Javoy ran away after he returned home from school three weeks ago. He said he accompanied him to school, and later in the day, when Javoy came home, he quickly left. He had not seen or heard from his son again until the residents found him. Walker explained that Javoy has a habit of running away because he dislikes school. However, Javoy had not left the community during those times.
Walker said he had to accompany his son to school and watch him go inside the compound because the boy ditched school frequently. He added that he tries his best to ensure his son has the opportunity to secure a good education by selling coal. His efforts to take care of his son were also echoed by the residents. However, despite all his efforts, his son chooses a troubling path.
“Mi nuh get any sleep… He is just 12 years old which means that him not responsible for himself and can’t stop go school,” Walker continued. He added that due to Javoy’s frequent absence from school, he was removed from the PATH programme, which provides food and financial support to struggling households.
He continued by saying, “A coal mi sell some time fi send him go school and mi walk all go Red Hills Road fi work just because mi give him the money that mi have to go school. Sometimes mi feel good to see the youth dem a come from school, eno, but feel sad because my own refuse to go when mi send him.”
Walker is unsure why his son has chosen such a troubling path. He said that while Javoy experienced two major losses this year, his mother and grandmother, he had been disobedient before they died. The child’s mother, Donna Legister, was killed in an arson attack at St Elizabeth’s Black River Market in March. The second loss came last month when his grandmother, with whom he had lived for some time in Greenwich Farm, passed away.
According to Walker, this is not the first time he has sought help for his son. He said he sought out the help of police and soldiers, who spoke to his son about his disobedience. When those did not work, he said he brought his son to get counselling at a facility on Duke Street, but fearing his son might be taken away, he stopped visiting the location.
Javoy also spoke to the media, telling a reporter that he would like to join the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) in the future. He admitted to ditching school, but he promised not to run away again. His three-week disappearance sparked questions about his whereabouts, which Javoy addressed, saying he was staying downtown with a man who claimed to be his stepfather. Javoy indicated that he believes the man because the man has a picture of his mother and him.
