SINCE the start of the year, the local news reports have featured several stories about children who have been abducted and murdered.

Concerned about this situation, up-and-coming reggae singjay Rollie Fresh recently recorded a song titled

Protect The Future which addresses the matter.The song, which was self-produced on his Above The Average Records, was released earlier this month to coincide with the ongoing Child Month celebrations.“There’s too much crime in our country and it’s affecting everyone. not even our kids are safe any more. It’s very disturbing when you think about the amount of kids that have been abused, kidnapped and killed in recent times. If the criminals continue to kill the children, what’s going to happen to Jamaica? We all have to play our part to bring this to an end,” he told

Jamaica Observer.The singjay believes parents can also help to turn things around by enforcing more discipline in their households.“A big part of the problem has to do with how parents are raising and culturing their children. Nowadays most kids are acting like adults. You see them in dances or idling on the streets after hours. Some of them are even drinking alcohol and smoking. What’s happening now is not an overnight thing; it’s something that has been slowly taking root over time,” he said.“I think this has happened because we have strayed from the philosophy that it takes a village to raise a child. When I was a child, my grandparents taught me to have manners and respect for my elders, and everyone in our community looked out for and protected the children,” he added.Rollie Fresh, given name Dwayne Newby, hails from Spanish Town, St Catherine. He is known for other songs like

A Nuh Every Gal Yuh Fi Pree, Leader

Nah Nuh Love, A Dis Dem a Fight

Fah and

Good Life featuring Chronixx.

–– Simone Morgan-Lindo