Regardless of what the experts say, Krista-lyn Stephenson, 18, believes that Hawaii’s sex offender registry is effective and serves a vital function.

"To me it helps a lot," the West Oahu resident said. "It kind of makes me feel safer."

Stephenson for several years was a victim of a sexual predator. Between the ages of 9 and 15, she was molested by someone she knew. For a long time, though, she didn’t tell anyone because she said she was afraid of the man.

Once Stephenson confided in her mother about what was happening, the offender was arrested and in June 2011 was sentenced to 10 years in prison for four counts of sexual assault. He is one of nearly 3,000 sex offenders listed on Hawaii’s public registry.

The Star-Advertiser is not identifying the man at Stephenson’s request.

While experts note that empirical studies nationally have questioned the effectiveness of registries, saying little evidence exists to show they enhance public safety, Stephenson said she is comforted by the fact that her molester is required to register as a sex offender for life and that his status as an offender is exposed in a small place like Hawaii.

"You feel more at ease, knowing his name is there," said Stephenson, who stressed that she was not speaking for other sex assault victims, but only for herself.

Stephenson told her story publicly for the first time last year at a luncheon for the Sex Abuse Treatment Center on Oahu. She agreed to share her story again with the Star-Advertiser in part to let other sexual assault victims know that despite what they may be feeling, they are not alone.

Recalling her own experience of suffering in silence, Stephenson said, "I felt at the time like I was the only girl in the world going through this."

Adriana Ramelli, executive director of the treatment center, said child sexual assault cases tend to be shrouded in secrecy because of the perpetrators. "They’re extremely skilled at manipulating kids, and they’re extremely skilled at keeping it a secret," Ramelli said.

With a registry, however, the offender no longer has the power to keep such crimes secret — a fact important to many sex abuse survivors, Ramelli added.

Stephenson, a University of Hawaii-West Oahu freshman pursuing a psychology degree, said she still deals with the trauma from the assaults and continues to get therapy. But she said she has made significant progress and wants other sexual assault survivors to take heart in her recovery.

"You get back up on your feet," Stephenson said. "What happened was horrible, but it doesn’t define who you are."