Honolulu, HI
Categories:
Tactics Used |
|
---|---|
Reverse stings | ✓ |
Shaming | ✓ |
Auto seizure | ✓ |
Community service | ✓ |
Public education | ✓ |
Neighborhood action | ✓ |
SOAP orders | ✓ |
John school | ✓ |
Letters | ✓ |
Cameras | ✓ |
Web stings | ✓ |
License suspension | ✓ |
With a population of over 375,000, Honolulu is Hawaii’s largest city. Prostitution has been a visible and persistent problem in the city for decades. Sex trafficking has become a growing concern in recent years, and several adult and child sex trafficking cases have been reported. Organizations, including the Pacific Alliance to Stop Slavery (P.A.S.S.), have debated with state lawmakers about reforming existing trafficking laws. In June 2013, the Governor signed four bills related to human trafficking into law, including one that focuses on demand: Senate Bill 192 makes solicitation of a minor for prostitution a Class C felony, makes the minimum fine for the offense $2,000, and extends the statute of limitations for from two to six years. It also requires that those convicted of the crime be required to register as a sex offender and also subjects their assets to forfeiture.
The Honolulu Police Department currently uses a wide range of tactics to address the issue, including several strategies that target commercial sex buyers. The city began conducting reverse stings as early as 1997. Over time, operations have expanded to include web stings and shaming (wherein arrestees’ names and identities are released to the public). After arrest, courts may also impose SOAP orders on offenders requiring they stay away from areas of the city known for high levels of prostitution activity. There have also been efforts to deter sex-buying through public education, the use of surveillance cameras and neighborhood patrols. Because of the high volume of tourists involved in Hawaii’s commercial sex trade, the Honolulu Police Department has contended that auto seizures and “john schools” cannot be implemented effectively, since many buyers do not own cars locally or would be out of state for any post-arrest programming.
In March 2014, a controversy emerged over state laws that allow male police officers to have sexual contact with prostituted persons as an investigative method. A focus on arresting buyers, rather than trying to arrest prostituted for little purpose, would eliminate the need to use such questionable tactics.
A Hawaii Supreme Court ruling in 2018 would allow people convicted of soliciting prostituted persons during a three-year period to try to clear their records. From 2013 to 2016, state law allowed different penalties to be issued for those caught receiving money for sex and those who paid for it. Prostituted persons were allowed to try to get the charge cleared from their records while people who solicited them could not seek a deferred sentence. Advocates for sex trafficking victims had supported the law allowing for different penalties, arguing that prostitutes are victims of exploitation and/or trafficking, while those paying for sex are offenders and thus deserve harsher penalties. The state Supreme Court found that the law was unfair.
Key Partners
- Honolulu Police Department
- Pacific Alliance to Stop Slavery (P.A.S.S.)
- Pacific Survivor Center
- Sisters Offering Support
Key Sources
- National Assessment Survey and Interviews
- Reverse Stings and Shaming:
- “Newswatch”, Honolulu Star-Bulletin, September 18 1997.
- “Waikiki Prostitution Crackdown”, Honolulu Star-Bulletin, November 3 1997.
- “Police Arrest Prostitutes and Customers in Recent Downtown Honolulu Stings”, NBC/KHNL-TV 35.
- “Five Men Arrested in Prostitution Sting”, FOX/KHON-TV 2, March 22 2007.
- “Undercover Sting Targets Johns”, FOX/KHON-TV 2, August 17 2007.
- “Downtown Prostitution Sting Captures 9”, Honolulu Star-Bulletin, September 1 2007.
- “Selling Sex in Honolulu: Prostitution Busts for Men Turn Up Mostly Locals, Few Tourists”, AroundHawaii.com, December 1 2010.
- “Honolulu Prosecutor: Prostitution Investigations ‘Very Active'”, Honolulu Civil Beat, July 9 2012.
- “Company CEO Arrested on Prostitution Charge”, NBC/KHNL-TV 35, August 22 2014.
- http://www.k5thehometeam.com/story/39106679/new-report-finds-high-rate-of-online-sex-buying-in-hawaii (2018)
- https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2018/11/04/hawaii-news/court-ruling-allows-some-solicitation-cases-to-be-cleared/ (2018)
- http://www.staradvertiser.com/2018/11/05/hawaii-news/prostitution-charges-against-johns-dismissed/ (2018)
- Web Stings:
- SOAP Orders:
- “City Revamps Effort to Oust Prostitutes from Waikiki at Night”, Honolulu Star-Bulletin, September 17 1997.
- “Police Wary of Bill Aimed at Prostitution”, Honolulu Star-Bulletin, June 21 2000.
- “Mirikitani’s Proposal from Twilite Zone”, Honolulu Star-Bulletin, June 23 2000.
- “Honolulu Lite: Will Oahu Get All the No Prostitute Zones?”, Honolulu Star-Bulletin, June 28 2000.
- “Police Want ‘Prostitution-Free’ Zone to Include Chinatown”, Honolulu Star-Bulletin, August 26 2006.
- “Habitual Solicitation” Law:
- Neighborhood Action:
- Sex Trafficking and Child Sexual Exploitation in the Area:
- “Pimp, Prostitute Admit to Transporting Girl, 16”, Honolulu Star-Bulletin, April 24 1998.
- “Group Sounds Child-Prostitution Alarm”, Honolulu Star-Bulletin, February 26 2000.
- “Girls for Sale: A Three-Part Series on Teen Prostitution in Hawaii”, Honolulu Star-Bulletin, August 24 2000.
- “2 Girls Found Sparkling Allure of Hawaii Sex Trade to Be Fool’s Gold”, Honolulu Star-Bulletin, September 10 2001.
- “Isle Girls Victims of Prostitution Ring”, Honolulu Star-Bulletin, December 17 2005.
- “Child-Prostitution Cases Reveal Cruel Underworld”, USA Today, July 26 2006.
- “Prostitution Bust Involves Isles”, Honolulu Star-Bulletin, July 31 2006.
- “Law Enforcement Sting of Alleged Human Trafficking Leads to Arrest”, Honolulu Advertiser, March 11 2009.
- “Three Charged in Prostitution Ring”, Hawaii Advertiser, May 27 2009.
- “Honolulu Man and Woman Indicted on Federal Sex Trafficking Charges”, Press Release, U.S. Department of Justice, June 18 2009.
- “Alleged Pimp Faces Charges of Kidnapping and Assault”, Honolulu Star-Bulletin, August 4 2009.
- “Hawaii Man Who Served as Pimp for Minor Online Sentenced to 5 Years”, Honolulu Advertiser, May 10 2010.
- “Sex Trafficking Victims Push for Law”, NBC/KHNL-TV 35, February 27 2011.
- “350 Ward Avenue’s ‘Relaxation Parlors’ Hot Spot for Prostitution, State Licensing Violations”, Hawaii Reporter, March 5 2012.
- “Vaimili Case Exposes Ugly, Violent World of Sex Trafficking in Honolulu”, Hawaii Reporter, March 5 2012.
- “Paramedics Help Sex Trafficking Victims”, NBC/KHNL-TV 35, August 29 2012.
- “Hawaii’s Youngest Sex Trafficking Victims ‘Get Out’ When Rescued by First Responders”, Hawaii Reporter, August 31 2012.
- “Pimp’s Lengthy Case Ends with 10-Year Prison Term”, Honolulu Star-Advertiser, November 24 2012.
- “Governor Signs Bills Protecting Women and Children”, Big Island Now, July 1 2013.
- “Hawaii Gets Tough on ‘Johns’ to Fight Prostitution, Trafficking”, Honolulu Civil Beat, July 1 2013.
- “Man, Teenager Indicted in Alleged Pimping”, Honolulu Star-Advertiser, January 5 2014.
- https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/hometown-heroes-nurse-aiming-end-child-sex-trafficking-hawaii/ (2019)
- Background on Prostitution in the Area:
- “Honolulu Morals Told of in Official Report”, San Jose News, March 31 1932.
- “Hawaii Report Says Vice Flourishes in Honolulu”, New York Times, April 7 1932.
- “Decrees Prostitution Stopped in Honolulu”, Milwaukee Journal, September 21 1944.
- “Underworld More Active in Honolulu Vice Racket”, Newburgh Evening News, October 18 1972.
- “Honolulu Police Use Volunteers to Nab Prostitutes”, Milwaukee Journal, June 30 1983.
- “Boom Under the Hula Moon”, Honolulu Star-Bulletin, August 9 1999.
- “Volunteer Helps Get Prostitutes Off the Streets”, Honolulu Star-Bulletin, September 8 2003.
- “Sex Tour Travel Agencies Targeted”, USA Today, February 13 2004.
- “Escaping a Life of Prostitution”, Honolulu Star-Bulletin, March 23 2004.
- “Prostitution Rescue Agency Forced to Close”, Honolulu Star-Bulletin, September 26 2006.
- “Johns Using Online Forum to Discuss Prostitution in Chinatown”, FOX/KHON-TV 2, October 22 2007.
- “Selling Sex in Honolulu: Police Focus Prostitution Arrests on Women, Not Men”, Honolulu Civil Beat, November 22 2010.
- “Cops, Prostitutes and Pimps: In One Year, One Pimp Arrested”, Honolulu Civil Beat, March 12 2012.
- “Cops, Prostitutes and Pimps: Honolulu Prostitution Arrests Declining”, Honolulu Civil Beat, March 14 2012.
- “Cops, Prostitutes and Pimps: No Arrests on a Saturday in Honolulu”, Honolulu Civil Beat, March 14 2012.
- “Cops, Prostitutes and Pimps: Honolulu Police Owe Public Answers”, Honolulu Civil Beat, March 16 2012.
- http://www.kitv.com/clip/14453832/demand-for-prostitution-increases-in-honolulu-while-rimpac-is-in-town (2018)
- http://www.k5thehometeam.com/story/39106679/new-report-finds-high-rate-of-online-sex-buying-in-hawaii (2018)
- https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2018/11/03/hpd-raids-two-massage-parlors-suspected-promoting-prostitution/ (2018)
- Documented Violence against Individuals Engaged in Prostitution in the Area:
- “Marine Charged with Murder of Oregon Woman in Hawaii”, ABC/KATU-TV 2, September 23 2013.
- “Eight Men Indicted, Accused of Trafficking Women for Prostitution”, ABC/KATU-TV 2, January 27 2014.
- “Eight Portland-Area Men Charged with Facilitating Prostitution”, Centralia Chronicle, January 27 2014.
- “Indicted: 8 Portland Men Accused of Transporting Women for Prostitution”, Columbus Republic, January 27 2014.
- “8 from Oregon Indicted in Case of Prostitution Tied to Island Death”, Honolulu Star-Advertiser, January 28 2014.
- “Pimp of Prostitute Killed by Marine Pleads Guilty,” Juneau Empire, March 18 2015.
- Controversy over Allowing Police to Have Sex with Prostituted Persons during Investigations:
State | Hawaii |
Type | City |
Population | 375571 |
Location |
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