It’s shocking and now it’s undeniable. Sex trafficking, an extreme method that supplies people into prostitution, stripping and pornography, is happening in Hawaii on a bigger scale than we all thought.
For two years, Hawaii’s Commission on the Status of Women and Arizona State University have published data warning policymakers that sex trafficking is a significant problem here — but, like clockwork, certain pro-prostitution University of Hawaii faculty members and the prostitution lobby have rushed to discredit their findings following each publication.
This is the first and only comprehensive study of sex trafficking undertaken by the state of Hawaii. The recent release of the third installment, “Sex Trafficking Part III: Sex Trafficking Experiences Across Hawaii,” has received widespread acclaim and provided incredible new insights. Attempts to smear this nationally recognized research and to sow division should be fought. Hawaii must remain united around the mission to end sex trafficking when the ivory tower and short-term thinkers lash out again.
Thankfully, we have a feminist government agency in Hawaii at the ready. The commission is catalyzing groundbreaking efforts against sex trafficking, bringing forth a new perspective grounded in social justice for women and femme-identified people.
Those who claim to work toward women’s liberation should be ecstatic that finally a government agency is addressing the root causes of real violence against women.
However, unfounded accusations of “political bias” and “poor research methods” have clouded the action-oriented response to this series of reports. Accusations have been maliciously thrown against the commission, arguing that it is conducting politically biased research.
The commission is obviously biased: It is required by law to advance the best interests of women and girls in Hawaii. If it were not for the intentional work of the commission to address the well-being of women and girls in Hawaii (one important aspect being sexual violence), its purpose would be obsolete. Addressing the rampant sex-trafficking reality in Hawaii serves to benefit the very population that the commission seeks to support: women and girls.
The study itself has been conducted jointly with the Arizona State University Office of Sex Trafficking Intervention Research, a highly credible and leading office on sex-trafficking research. In fact, the mere suggestion that an institution of lesser caliber should be utilized for the study points toward an alarming political bias; the best researchers should be utilized, not the loudest.
The Commission on the Status of Women is elevating and supporting the voices of those most marginalized in Hawaii, particularly within sex-trafficking.
If we are to truly work toward women’s liberation, we cannot continue to defend a system predicated upon patriarchal violence. It’s time to speak out for the commission and the incredible frontline of sex-trafficking service providers in our community.
Honolulu resident Alexandra Balgos is a working-class feminist and community advocate for women, girls and nonbinary people.
