Sex-Trafficking and Sex-Tourism are modern day forms of slavery. Women and children are forced to prostitute themselves for their pimps and madames in this multi-billion dollar iilegal underground industry. Although the connotation of the word “trafficking” implies movement, transportation is not a required element of the crime under Federal statutory code and the TVPA of 2000. In the Department of Justice's model law commentary, it is stated, “The heart of the concept of 'trafficking in persons' is the denial of the liberty of another." Survivors of sex-trafficking suffer both deep emotional and severe physical wounds that emplore communities and nations to recognize this public health issue as an epidemic human rights violation.

American patrons of sex tours from the United States to foreign countries have been known to victimize children, both boys and girls as young as fourteen, and victims have come forward who are as young as five and eight years old (MSNBC report, October 18, 2004). In November 2003, GiRL FeST coordinated a well-publicized, peaceful demonstration outside the business address of Melvin Hamaguchi, sex-tour operator promoting the “Ultimate Asian Sex Tour,” who soon after shut down his business, Video Travel. Demonstrators dressed in white with white and black face paint. Each ghostly figure represented 1 million women and children caught in the sex-trade against their will.

This peaceful artistic protest was televised on four local news stations and led, along with testimony provided by Girl Fest and Equality Now, to the drafting of House Bill 2020 which was signed, in May 2004, into law as Act 82 making Hawaii the first State in the nation to illegalize sex-tourism. HB 2020 was supported by a handful of legislators including Representative Marilyn Lee and Senator Suzanne Chun Oakland. Thanks to the watchful eye of global women's advocacy group Equality Now, our local legislators, and the news networks, our demonstration at Video Travel and testimonials at the Capitol proved successful in helping to affect awareness and the creation of unprecedented legislation to protect women globally.

Early in 2004 GiRL FeST Hawaii representatives presented testimony on behalf of Equality Now in favor of House Bill 2020, a bill making sex-tourism a criminal offense in Hawaii. With record speed, HB 2020 was signed into law as Act 82 by LT. Governor Duke Aiona on May 19th 2004, the first law of its kind in the nation. This legislation is lauded by supporters from the Philippines to India and has been successfully used as a precedent to enact similar legislation in New York. To date, three States including Washington State have passed laws based on the Hawaii precedent.

In late 2005, GiRL FeST’s Anti Sex Trafficking Research Group planned to network with other organizations locally and nationally to create a model bill for the legislature to consider re-drafting for the ultimate goal of introducing Hawaii’s first comprehensive State Anti Sex Trafficking Bill. From this initiative, HB2051 was introduced on January 20th 2006. HB2051 was passed into law as Act 260 which created a State funded local Task Force specifically focused on creating effective State anti-trafficking legislation. Currently, GiRL FeST continues to monitor this progress as a member of both Hawaii Anti-Trafficking Task Forces. The Act 260 Task Force, with GiRL FeST advocating for youth rights, interventions and protections, has drafted a bill for the next 2008 legislative session to illegalize sex-trafficking in Hawaii from a victim-based approach to the growing problem.

FOR QUICK FACTS ABOUT TRAFFICKING
CLICK HERE

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THE U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT'S
SEX-TRAFFICKING SITE

This declaration was recognized by both parties to be more than a public declaration against rape, due to a recent spate of rapes in and near Manoa campus. It is a work in progress in which the UH collaborates with the RFZC to establish more demanding standards for security, policies on sex assault, and in creating a viable violence prevention educational program for students, coaches, athletes, university administration and staff. The goals is to ensure the safety and well-being of all students so that their access to a university education remains unimpeded by issues of criminal sex assault and administrative response.

The RFZC members include professors from the UH Women Studies Program, educators from the Sex Abuse Treatment Center and from Catholic Charities, community activists, graduate and undergraduate students, and attorneys. The RFZC meets monthly with the UH President David McClain on protocol and sex assault reporting, scheduling of anti-sexism and violence prevention training, reports on security upgrades, and other issues focusing on the implementation of greater campus security.

On August 29th 2005 the President of the University called a press conference publicly declaring the University System a Rape-Free Zone. The RFZC also launched a informational website and plans to launch a community on-line blog to engage the public in creating a safer environment for campuses, www.rapefreezone.org. The University, the RFZC, the Sex Abuse Treatment Center, and others collaborated on the first of a series of educational trainings for the UH students, faculty, staff, administration, athletes and coaches with the 2nd Annual Girl Fest Hawaii Men’s Program led by Jackson Katz, leading anti-sexism trainer and founder of MVP Strategies. This training was an unprecedented event in the University’s history. Girl Fest and its Rape-Free Zone Coalition continues its work with the university and plans a conference in April 2006, a PSA and Poster Campaign targeted at young men, and is working to improve training for the New Student and New Employee Orientations for 2006.

Girl Fest Hawaii presented a two-day anti-violence conference at the University of Hawaii on April 20th and 21st of 2006. Girl Fest Hawaii has partnered with both local organizations, the University community, and our Teen Group in various fields from youth outreach and art education to media technology, for the purpose of helping us to prevent violence on campus. We have brought these partners together to conduct lectures and seminars on the topic of campus violence prevention.

The Conference’s speakers are Haunani-Kay Trask and Dr. Jean Kilbourne. Named by The New York Times Magazine as one of the three most popular speakers on college campuses today, Jean Kilbourne, Ed.D. is internationally recognized for her pioneering work on alcohol and tobacco advertising and the image of women in advertising. She is the creator of the award-winning Killing Us Softly: Advertising's Image of Women film series. Haunani-Kay Trask is one of Hawai'i's best-known Native leaders and scholars. Her four books include the critically-acclaimed, From a Native Daughter:Colonialism and Sovereignty in Hawai'i, as well as two books of poetry, Light in the Crevice Never Seen, and Night is a Sharkskin Drum. She was also co-producer and scriptwriter of the award-wining film, Act of War: The Overthrow of the Hawaiian Nation.

The RFZC takes pride in working with men as allies in the fight to prevent violence against women and girls the the community. For the 3rd Annual GiRL FeST Hawaii (2006), the RFZC has scheduled an anti gender violence training with Coach June Jones and the University of Hawaii Warriors Football Team on September 12th 2006 with educator, former football player, and award-winning filmmaker Byron Hurt.