Sign the Petition to Enact State Law!
(Petition Sign-in Below)Overview
Hawaii remains 1 of 7 states in the nation that has not passed legislation making Human Trafficking a felony offense while protecting victims of this horrible crime.
According to the U.S. Department of State, 300,000 U.S. children are forced or manipulated into the sex-trafficking trade. 1.2 million children worldwide are trafficked. According to the Honolulu Police Department, in 2008, Honolulu (not statewide) saw 15 children as High Risk Victims for Human Trafficking PER MONTH (or one child every other day).
Existing local laws do not adequately address the problem of Human Trafficking.
Some of the problems of using current statutes include:
1) Prostitution statutes place both victim and patron in the same criminal category making it virtually impossible for HPD to recognize prostitutes as victims. These are hardly victim centered laws,
2) Promoting prostitution statutes are NOT adequate in addressing Human Trafficking as they criminalize victims as "prostitutes," which carries heavy societal bias, and their penalties do not fit the atrocities of Human Trafficking. e.g. 30 months in jail and 3-5 years supervised release. *See Rodney D. King case for past example.
3) Most times, only promoting prostitution in the 3rd degree is applied to pimps/traffickers (misdemeanor), and,
4) These laws are not preventative so authorities need to "wait" until something severe like sex assault, murder, extortion, or kidnapping occur to pin the trafficker with anything worthwhile, of course to the detriment of the victim trafficked.
Please sign this petition to urge Governor Linda Lingle, the Hawaii State Legislature, City Prosecutor Peter Carlisle and Attorney General Mark Bennett to support legislation to create a state Human Trafficking law.
The Petition Letter
To: Governor Linda Lingle, Hawaii State Legislature, City Prosecutor, State Attorney General
The rise in Human Trafficking among international and domestic trafficked persons is increasing in Hawaii, adversely affecting the image of the state and therefore tourism and the economy. Hawaii remains 1 of 7 states in the nation that has not passed legislation making Human Trafficking a felony offense while protecting the victims of this crime.
According to the FBI Innocence Lost Initiative for Operation Cross Country II, Honolulu is 1 of 29 cities recognized as a place with a considerable amount of child sex-trafficking in addition to adult Human Trafficking.
Existing Hawaii laws are ineffective to deter Human Trafficking and protecting victims. Effective deterrents require bringing traffickers, and patrons who solicit services from trafficked persons, to justice. Additionally, current prostitution statutes place both patrons of prostitution and prostituted persons into the same criminal category.
Victims often find it difficult or impossible to report the crimes committed against them or to assist in the investigation and prosecution of these crimes because they are subjected to coercion and intimidation, including physical or psychological control, persecution, debt bondage, and fear of retribution.
The lack of legal definition in our Hawaii statutes creates a deficit of adequate services and facilities in Hawaii to meet the needs of trafficking victims in terms of health care, housing, education, medical services, and legal assistance-- services which safely support the recovery and ability of trafficked persons to regain control of their lives and also to assist with the prosecution of traffickers.
In order to deter Human Trafficking, Hawaii must recognize that Human Trafficking is a serious offense. This can be simply accomplished by prescribing appropriate punishment, giving priority to the prosecution of trafficking offenses, and protecting, rather than punishing, the victims of these offenses.
The residents of Hawaii are asking the State Legislature to enact a Human Trafficking statute compatible with existing state statutes as well as with the federal Trafficking Victims Protection Act to allow local law enforcement and city prosecutors to effectively combat the growing problem of Human Trafficking. Trafficking is a contemporary manifestation of slavery. We must ensure the just and effective punishment of traffickers, and protect the human rights of trafficked persons.
We urge the State Legislature, the Governor of Hawaii, the City Prosecutor Peter Carlisle, and the State Attorney General Mark Bennett, and their relevant Departments to support, to enact, and to enforce Human Trafficking legislation. We support leaders who support the passage of state legislation to create a Human Trafficking statute.
Thank you for taking the time to read our petition letter.
Sincerely,
Your Name