HI SCR70

Requests the Hawaii State Commission on the Status of Women to establish a task force to study missing and murdered Native Hawaiian women and girls.

Task force shall identify causes of the problem, current databases and data collection methods, barriers to data collection and information sharing, partnerships to increase reporting and investigations, and recommend legislation to improve data collection and sharing.

Task force membership includes representatives from state agencies (Health, Human Services, Courts, Attorney General), county status of women committees, police departments, and nine community organizations including Papa Ola Lokahi, Sex Abuse Treatment Center, Hale Kipa, and Hoola Na Pua.

Preliminary report with findings and recommendations due to Legislature 20 days before the 2022 Regular Session; final report due 20 days before the 2023 Regular Session.

Data cited shows 77% of sex trafficking victims surveyed in 2018 and 64% in 2019 were Native Hawaiian, and one in three child sex trafficking victims reported to Child Welfare Services from 2017-2019 were Native Hawaiian.