I could not finish my A Levels and left school early. We had many debts and also faced the threat of eviction so I had to find a job. I abandoned my dream of becoming a doctor,” a sex worker, who asked to be unnamed, told me. The 22-year-old from Colombo loved school and intended to study medicine to help her local community. The combined impact of the pandemic and economic crisis in 2022 changed everything. Her father, employed as a natami (a physical labourer) in their local area, c