Gov. Neil Abercrombie signed three pieces of legislation into law Monday aimed at combating sex trafficking in Hawaii and increasing services for victims.
One law makes it a Class C felony, which carries a maximum five-year prison term, to solicit someone under the age of 18 for prostitution.
"Previously Hawaii’s stance on child-sex trafficking was basically at an F," said state Sen. Suzanne Chun Oakland, who worked on the reforms with a number of advocacy groups. "Now we’re getting closer to an A grade. Next we’ll look at establishing safe housing with wraparound services for victims."
ALSO under the new laws:
» Solicitation of prostitution charges are not eligible for a deferred acceptance of a guilty plea, under which the crime could be wiped from a defendant’s record if certain conditions are followed.
» Those guilty of solicitation of minors will have their names added to the sex offender registry.
» The statute of limitations increases to six years from two to bring a cause of action for coerced prostitution.
» Certain employers are required to put up informational posters on human trafficking and contact information for the National Human Trafficking Resource Center Hotline. They include massage parlors, establishments that provide nude dancers, and some businesses with liquor licenses.
» January is designated "Human Trafficking Awareness Month."
Abercrombie said the new laws apply to people "who have not necessarily been loved and cherished," and show "that underdogs should always have a fighting chance."
The reforms won praise from Nancie Caraway, Abercrombie’s wife and director of the Women’s Human RightsTrafficking Project at the Globalization Research Center at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.
CARAWAY also called attention to Act 248, which makes Hawaii the second state after New York to give domestic workers protections, such as rights to overtime pay, meal and rest breaks, and a workplace free of abuse and harassment.
"These new laws give the justice system the tools that it needs to really prosecute the violation so that it’s not just a slap on the wrist, and provide resources for victims, who are generally migrants," Caraway said.
Abercrombie signed these anti-trafficking and labor reforms as part of a package of Hawaii Women’s Legislative Caucus bills. One measure extends voluntary foster care to age 21, while another requires certain employers to provide reasonable time and a private location for new mothers to express breast milk.
Contributing to the legislation were the Pacific Alliance to Stop Slavery, IMUAlliance, Equality Now and Courage House.
