Concerned about the frequent incidents of abuse of and the killing of children and women, singer Ikaya has been led to write the song Blood On Your Hands.

An emotional plea for change and action to be taken against perpetrators, the song was produced by Natural Bond Entertainment. It is featured on the Redemption rhythm and was first released in late August.

“The frustration and the frequency of hearing of cases of our women and children being victimised and nothing is being done about it — those are some of the reasons why I decided to do this song. I remember the Jasmine Dean incident very well, where she went missing and there wasn’t even a week of protests. Everyone forgot about her and moved on with their daily living, while her father suffered pain and anguish. That incident, along with other related stories of our women and children who went missing, got raped and killed [moved me].”

She continued: “I have been saddened by all of this and stories of our women being abused. I know that I had to be vocal about this. I’ve always been an advocate against abuse. I lost a friend through domestic violence, where her boyfriend shot her and then shot himself. So I try to be vocal and to bring awareness to these situations.”

Ikaya also shared an incident of sexual abuse that one of her friends had experienced.

“I may not be a victim of rape, but I’ve had close friends who have been victims to such heinous acts. Ninety per cent of our women you see walking around are scarred. Since the release of Blood On Your Hands I’ve seen so many rape victims come forward sharing their stories of being abused at a young age. Investigations have shown that most of them are family members or someone close to the victims. The ones who should protect us are the same ones inflicting pain,” Ikaya charged.

The artiste went further to say that there is too much silence in these matters.

“Every crime is being seen by someone, but people are scared to come forward because of the corrupt system,” said Ikaya.

She had a recommendation that could help to curtail the frequency of abuse and killings against children and women.

“I think a law should be passed that any man who is found guilty of raping or killing of women and children should be executed… We should hang dem in the square to set an example. They shouldn’t be given the chance to even go to prison and live off of taxpayers’ money.”

Admittedly, Ikaya says she is concerned about the increase in crime and violence against Jamaicans on a whole.

“I am a concerned citizen, very concerned about the safety of our population. You can’t even leave your home without wondering, ‘Am I going to be the next victim of rape or be killed?’ You can’t even send your child to school without worrying each day if he or she’s not going to make it back home… I am very concerned, and I hope that the authorities will implement something to curb the crime monster,” said Ikaya.