Dear Governor Ige,
Thank you for signing House Bill 1902, legislation that has established and defined sex trafficking as a criminal offense for the first time in Hawaii and provide key protections for sex trafficking victims!! – This is a key step forward.
On November 11, 2015, Shared Hope International released annual report cards for every state, and Hawaii’s grade remains too low, as a “D.” I would like to see Hawaii raise its grade. Taking the important steps to combat child sex trafficking and improve protections for child victims set out in House Bill 1902 may help achieve this goal. These bills will:
- Specifically criminalize the sex trafficking of minors without requiring proof of force, fraud or coercion. Sex trafficking laws should identify all minors sold for commercial sex as victims of sex trafficking, regardless of whether force or threats were used to gain or keep control of the minor and appropriately hold those who exploit children’s vulnerabilities accountable.
- Allow individual lawsuits by victims of sex trafficking. Ensuring that victims have access to justice against their perpetrators and avenues to secure funds for needed restorative services is crucial, as the harms suffered by sex trafficking victims can be extensive and long-lasting. Indeed, sex trafficking survivors deserve remedies in both civil and criminal courts.
House Bill 1902 is Hawaii’s first sex trafficking law, which is sorely needed to prevent and respond to the commercial sexual exploitation of our children.
As a constituent troubled by the widespread trafficking of children for commercial sex, I had been particularly concerned that Hawaii was the only state in the U.S. without a sex trafficking law before this year. Thank you for enacting this cornerstone piece of legislation in the fight to protect our children and combat juvenile sex trafficking!
Sincerely,
Hawaii enacted its first law criminalizing sex trafficking! House Bill 1902 is a key step forward! https://t.co/4mvMlryLba
— SharedHope Int’l (@SharedHope) July 6, 2016
