199
THE SENATE                           S.C.R. NO.            S.D. 1
TWENTIETH LEGISLATURE, 2000                                H.D. 1
STATE OF HAWAII                                            
                                                             
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________


                    SENATE  CONCURRENT
                        RESOLUTION

  REQUESTING THE LEGISLATIVE REFERENCE BUREAU TO CONVENE A TASK
    FORCE TO STUDY AND MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS ON HOW TO IMPROVE
    THE LAWS CONCERNING THE SEXUAL EXPLOITATION OF WOMEN AND
    CHILDREN.


 1        WHEREAS, the Legislature finds that the trafficking in
 2   women and children, and the sexual exploitation of minors, most
 3   of whom are female, is happening at an alarming rate and in
 4   ways most of us are not aware of; and
 5   
 6        WHEREAS, unsuspecting adolescents are being recruited,
 7   coerced, and manipulated into providing sexual services for
 8   adults, not a choice that adolescents are capable of, or should
 9   be, making; and
10   
11        WHEREAS, the Legislature also finds that in some cases,
12   the laws concerning sexual assault are vague and may not be
13   used appropriately with respect to the exploitation of women
14   and children, and that education is an important factor in
15   understanding the issues surrounding commercial and
16   noncommercial sexual exploitation; and
17   
18        WHEREAS, currently, there are laws which are designed to
19   protect minor children from sexual exploitation perpetrated
20   against them by adults; and
21   
22        WHEREAS, victims of exploitation can include men, women,
23   and children of any age, but the majority are women and girls
24   under the age of twenty-five; and
25   
26        WHEREAS, a recent study in Hawaii has revealed that:
27   
28        (1)  There are 1500 - 5000 women and children involved in
29             prostitution activities alone in Honolulu; and
30   
31        (2)  In Hawaii, there is a demand for underage girls and
32             boys to provide sexual services in exchange for money
33             and other favors;
34   
35   and

 
Page 2                                                     199
                                  S.C.R. NO.            S.D. 1
                                                        H.D. 1
                                                        


 1        WHEREAS, individuals victimized are often emotionally
 2   needy, have low self-esteem, and may be materially deprived;
 3   and
 4   
 5        WHEREAS, harmful effects of sexual exploitation may
 6   include substance abuse, suicide, sexually transmitted
 7   diseases, depression, and psychological trauma; now, therefore,
 8   
 9        BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twentieth Legislature
10   of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2000, the House of
11   Representatives concurring, that the Legislative Reference
12   Bureau is requested to convene a task force to study the laws
13   concerning the sexual exploitation of women and children in
14   Hawaii and make recommendations for improving these laws where
15   appropriate; and
16   
17        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force focus on the
18   specific issues related to:
19   
20        (1)  The commercial exploitation of minors and young
21             women;
22   
23        (2)  The role and use of current sexual assault laws in
24             protecting women and children from sexual
25             exploitation;
26   
27   and
28   
29        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force include, at a
30   minimum, but not be limited to, representatives from: the
31   Hawaii Commission on the Status of Women; the Legal Aid Society
32   of Hawaii; the county police departments; the county
33   prosecuting attorneys; the Department of the Attorney General;
34   the office of the public defender; the Department of Health;
35   the Department of Education; the Family Court; and
36   representatives from children and family advocate groups such
37   as the Hawaii Family Forum, Sisters Offering Support, and the
38   Sex Abuse Treatment Center; and
39   
40        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force review existing
41   statutory and penal code provisions, determine if these laws
42   are adequate and appropriate, and make recommendations,
43   including proposed legislation; and
44   

 
 
 
Page 3                                                     199
                                  S.C.R. NO.            S.D. 1
                                                        H.D. 1
                                                        


 1        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislative Reference
 2   Bureau report the findings and recommendations of the task
 3   force to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the
 4   convening of the Regular Session of 2001; and
 5   
 6        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this
 7   Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Legislative
 8   Reference Bureau, the Attorney General, the Hawaii Commission
 9   on the Status of Women, the Legal Aid Society of Hawaii, the
10   Chief of each county police department, the Prosecuting
11   Attorney of each county, the Public Defender, the Director of
12   Health, the Superintendent of Education, the Administrative
13   Director of the Family Court, Hawaii Family Forum, Sisters
14   Offering Support, and the Sex Abuse Treatment Center.