Media exposure to sex trafficking has its drawbacks
Media exposure to sex trafficking has its drawbacks
In response to the editorial by Janos Keoni Samu on (TGI, March 3) regarding the newspaper’s under-reporting of the problem of sex-trafficking of minors that is becoming apparent.
There have been front page articles in the Garden Island on sentencing of at least two individuals in late 2018 that addressed some of this type of sexual victimization of children as well as actions to work against the problem that is growing nationally and globally. There have also been Civil Beat articles that speak about what has been discovered by an exploratory team from Arizona and efforts underway in Hawaii to identify and stop this pathway of tragedy.
The Commission on the Status of Women has taken a lead role. There is a network of collaborative meetings and training underway. It has been intentional to not invite the press to these meetings as it likely would stop people from sharing their own personal rough experiences or knowledge. The goal is to isolate the bad players and stop them.
The Kauai Police Department and Prosecutor’s Office are committed and active partners in the effort to find and prosecute those responsible for the trafficking of others.
Making the discussion too public would not only shame vulnerable people, but tip off perpetrators on strategies underway to squash this problem. I chose to make a small statement on my KKCR radio show primarily as a signal to people on the periphery of the problem to let them know that there is mobilization to help them. The astute listener would have come away with some ideas to show up where reports could safely be made.
When I spoke vaguely about “young” people, I meant pre-teen, not younger; though I simply don’t know if that is happening.
This is a sensitive topic in which the dignity of those involved are respected. The priority is being placed on stopping the problem and finding those in the rough circumstances.
Felicia Cowden, Council Chair of Public Safety and Human Services
