Mayor Derek S.K. Kawakami said one of the most effective ways to prevent human trafficking is to watch out for each other.
There are just a few more days remaining in January, and Kawakami issued a proclamation to the YWCA of Kauai that coordinated a January is Human Trafficking Prevention Month event at the Moikeha Building on Tuesday.
In the proclamation presentation to the YWCA of Kauai, the audience included numerous county departments as well as civic groups such as the Committee on the Status of Women, the Zonta Club of Kauai, Child and Family Service and more.
During the signing of the state proclamation on Jan. 24 by Gov. Josh Green, it was pointed out that this year marks the 15th anniversary of human trafficking prevention efforts, and Human Trafficking Awareness and Prevention Month shines a light on a hidden crime that affects communities everywhere.
“We must recognize a heartbreaking truth — Native Hawaiian keiki are disproportionately affected by human trafficking,” Green said in a press release. “This is not just a statistic — it is a call to action, demanding that we confront the systemic issues that allow this to persist. It is devastating to think that in the very place we call home, a place so rooted in aloha and community, our most vulnerable children are at heightened risk of exploitation. Every child deserves to grow up in safety, surrounded by love and opportunity, but human trafficking robs them of that fundamental right.”
The Kauai document stated that Hawaii’s long, complex history of colonization makes our community more vulnerable to human trafficking that involves recruiting, harboring, transporting, providing or obtaining a human being for the purpose of commercial sex act, labor or services by means of force, fraud or coercion.
“With a united front, the community can actively contribute to the broader efforts of agencies working to stop human trafficking,” the Kauai proclamation stated. “We encourage all Kauai residents, local businesses, schools, communities of faith, government and healthcare providers to learn the signs of trafficking and report it.”
The Department of the Attorney General recently announced the publication of its Human Trafficking Prevention Program web page that is available at the following website: https://ag.hawaii.gov/traffickingprevention.
“Traffickers exploit their victims through force, fraud and coercion,” said Attorney General Anne Lopez. “We have the power to stop it. By raising awareness to the connection between human trafficking, online harassment and abuse, domestic violence and other forms of abuse, we can develop more effective strategies to combat exploitation.”