Abominable! - Artiste wants more done to help girls

Having seen an article in THE STAR on Tuesday about a 13-year-old being raped by her schoolmate at a high school in St Catherine, Jada Kingdom is pissed off, scared and disheartened.

"What's happening recently, even in our schools, is abominable!" the artiste exclaimed.

She continued: "I think it's time we properly address gender and conflict resolution within our education system, that violent and heinous acts such as rape are not the way to resolve issues."

Being a victim of rape has been one of the darkest experiences the entertainer has had to come to terms with, but slowly but surely, she is coming out of her shell to speak out on the topic.

"I'm a work in progress myself, but I always take the time to listen and encourage, and girls reach out to me all the time, mostly via social media, to share their experiences," said Jada Kingdom, the Best You Ever Had singer.

Recent research has shown that children, especially girls, bear the brunt of the sexual-abuse cases reported across Jamaica. Data compiled by the Jamaica Crime Observatory Integrated Crime and Violence Information System showed that 710, or approximately 66 per cent, of the 1,079 persons sexually assaulted across 10 parishes in Jamaica in 2015 were children. Of that number, 703, or approximately 65 per cent, were girls, mostly between the ages of 11 and 17.

"It's rough out there for females, so it's important for me to keep pushing self-love, body confidence, and encourage females to have their voices heard ... the 'cow down' days done," Jada Kingdom said.

She has called for children to be taught respect for each other at an early age.