HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.C.R. NO.

175

THIRTIETH LEGISLATURE, 2019

H.D. 2

STATE OF HAWAII

S.D. 1

 

 

 

 

HOUSE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

 

REQUESTING THE HAWAII STATE COMMISSION ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN TO MAINTAIN A DATABASE ON SEX TRAFFICKING OFFENSES.

 

 


     WHEREAS, the State is in need of increased data about sex trafficking; and

 

     WHEREAS, at the present time, there is neither a method for statewide data collection nor a clear mandate for the collection, reporting, and analysis of important metrics of sex trafficking; and

 

     WHEREAS, in fiscal year 2016-2017, a total of eighty-three cases of sex trafficking were reported to the Department of Human Services' child trafficking hotline, and the youngest reported victim was six years old; and

 

     WHEREAS, no other prevalence data on victims are readily available, and both the State and non-state actors struggle to provide adequate care, shelter, and support to the current number of sex trafficking victims in the State; and

 

     WHEREAS, men, boys, and transgender individuals are victimized by sex trafficking, but the majority of victims are cisgender women and girls; and

 

     WHEREAS, cisgender girls accounted for ninety-eight percent of minor victims in all sex trafficking cases in the country from 2010 to 2015; and

 

     WHEREAS, due to the enduringly gendered nature of the crime, the Hawaii State Commission on the Status of Women produced a report that points to sex trafficking as a significant problem in Hawaii; and

 

     WHEREAS, it is necessary to improve the State's efforts to stop sex trafficking; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Hawaii Youth Services Network distinguishes sex trafficking and survival sex; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Thirtieth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2019, the Senate concurring, that the Hawaii State Commission on the Status of Women is requested to maintain a database on sex trafficking offenses, which include offenses under sections 712‑1200(1)(b) and 712-1202, Hawaii Revised Statutes; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the purpose of the database is requested to be to:

 

     (1)  Collect and maintain relevant statewide sex trafficking data; provided that all data submission is compliant with the applicable privacy laws governing the source of the data; provided further that all data on the database shall be made accessible to each governmental entity if disclosure and use is consistent with the privacy laws governing the source of the data; and

 

     (2)  Annually review data collection practices within government to ensure agencies are providing data necessary for the database; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that it is requested that the database include data on the:

 

     (1)  Total number of all sex trafficking cases in Hawaii reported to national and local trafficking hotlines;

 

     (2)  Total number of sex trafficking cases reported to and handled by governmental agencies and private organizations receiving state funding;

 

     (3)  Total number of arrests, prosecutions, and convictions under sections 712-1200(1)(b) and 712-1202, Hawaii Revised Statutes;

 

     (4)  The age range and average age of victims, offenders, and traffickers;

 

     (5)  The sex and gender identity of victims, offenders, and traffickers;

 

     (6)  The race and ethnicity of victims, offenders, and traffickers;

 

     (7)  The total number of native Hawaiian victims;

 

     (8)  The total number of immigrant victims; and

 

     (9)  The total amount of annual federal and state funds available to address sex trafficking; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Attorney General, Judiciary, and the chiefs of police and prosecuting attorneys of the several counties are requested to provide to the Commission data necessary for the purposes of the database; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Commission is requested to submit a report to the Legislature on the sex trafficking statistics, and any proposed legislation, no later than twenty days before the convening of the Regular Session of 2021, and each regular session thereafter; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Hawaii, Attorney General of the State of Hawaii, Hawaii State Commission on the Status of Women, and the chiefs of police and prosecuting attorneys of the several counties.

Report Title: 

Sex Trafficking; Data; Hawaii State Commission on the Status of Women