What No One Tells You About Jamaica Travel

According to the State Department statistics, 78 U.S. citizens have been raped in Jamaica between 2011-2018. Yet, we never hear about this side of Jamaica.

Instead, we are sold on traveling to paradise with its crystal blue water, reggae music, and secured all-inclusive resorts to keep out all the dangerous people. And if we’re lucky, we’ll get our groove back like Stella.

In reality, Stella got hella lucky. Her fictitious sexual relationship was consensual. That, unfortunately, is not the case for all American tourists.

An estimated one American is raped each month in Jamaica according to the Detroit Press. And that’s just the number of rapes actually reported as rape victims often times remain silent. What’s even scarier is that a few of these rapes happened at the supposedly secured all-inclusive resorts.

It’s horrifying to hear about a teenage girl violently losing her virginity while her friend is being gang-raped by three lifeguards in a locked laundry room at their Jamaican resort.

According to the Detroit Press, some assailants are intentionally targeting their rape victims on the last day of their trip. By raping their victims on their last vacation day, the rapists are betting on tourists foregoing a formal investigation because they won’t want to extend their stay.

Again, why aren’t you hearing about the widespread of sexual assaults in Jamaica?

First, by not doing your research before planning a trip. The State Department has issued travel advisories for Jamaica for the past three years. But, sadly, many ignore or don’t check travel advisories before booking a trip.

It’s also no shock that with over a million Americans flocking to Jamaica every year, hotels and the local tourist industry would want to keep these incidents quiet. The State Department has even called for “forceful investigation and follow-up by the hotels and by police and other security officials” in a recent crime report. But there is no guarantee this will ever occur until more pressure is placed on these entities to do better.

For now, female travelers to Jamaica should heed the warnings by:

Don’t trust people too quickly.
Don’t tell anyone your hotel name or room number.
Do be cautious at night especially when there are few people around. This includes inside your resort!
Do know your limits when it comes to alcohol.
Do trust your instincts.