Released in 1987, “Luka “ is a song written by American singer-songwriter Suzanne Vega. It remains her highest-charting song in the world. “Luka” was nominated at the 1988 Grammy Awards for Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Female Vocal Performance.

“Luka” deals with the issue of child abuse, a subject that no-one talked about at that time. The song specifically deals with the emotional and physical abuse Vega had herself suffered at the hands of her stepfather. In early live performances of the song, Vega was aware that the subject made people uncomfortable and it was only through the efforts of her manager that the song was ever recorded at all. Historically, it is one of the bravest and most important contributions ever made towards social awareness and responsibility.

At least 1 in 7 children have experienced abuse or neglect in the past year in the United States. This is likely an underestimate since many cases remain unreported. In 2020, 1,750 children died of abuse and neglect in the United States. The rates of child abuse and neglect are 5 times higher for children in families of low social and economic status. In the United States, the total lifetime economic burden associated with child abuse was about $592 billion in 2018. This rivals the cost of other high-profile public health problems, such as heart disease and diabetes. In Canada, over half of Canadians have reported experiencing non-physical maltreatment or both physical and non-physical maltreatment before the age of 15.

Children are innocent and vulnerable and have the right to grow up free from abuse. Everyone has a duty to ensure that this happens. In Canada, reporting child abuse is mandatory under the child welfare statute of each province and territory. Although the reporting rate is growing, many studies show that the actual rates of child abuse may be much higher than those reported – the victims are children and they may lack the understanding or ability to report occurences for themselves. In addition, many children are under the care of their abusers.

The advent of the internet has also created greater instances for the abuse and exploitation of children and young people. Prior to the internet, law enforcement was winning the war against juvenile pornography but the internet has made it a multibillion-dollar industry. Without greater law enforcement, parental vigilance and more severe penalties, there is little hope that the situation will improve.

I’m very fortunate to have two good friends helping me out with some of these recordings. I’ve known Alrick for 7 years and we are birds of a feather. I’ve dreamt of hearing the majesty and magnificent tone of an upright bass on my recordings for 50 years and Alrick’s playing has been an inspiration to me. I’ve known Roch since we were teenagers, we formed our first band when we were 15 and Roch also played percussion on my very first recordings in the 1970s.

Richard Séguin – voice, acoustic and electrick guitars
Alrick Huebener – upright bass
Roch Tassé – drums

To hear the song, click on the title below.

Luka

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