STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1787

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    H.C.R. No. 11

       H.D. 1

       S.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2021

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committee on Judiciary, to which was referred H.C.R. No. 11, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, entitled:

 

"HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE HAWAII STATE COMMISSION ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN TO CONVENE A TASK FORCE TO STUDY MISSING AND MURDERED NATIVE HAWAIIAN WOMEN AND GIRLS,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to request the Hawaii State Commission on the Status of Women to convene a task force to study missing and murdered Native Hawaiian women and girls.

 

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Judiciary, Department of Health, Hawaii Children's Action Network Speaks!, and Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates – Hawaii.

 

     Your Committee finds that missing and murdered native women is a human rights crisis that disproportionately affects indigenous peoples in the United States and Canada, notably those in Native American communities.  Your Committee further finds that there are concerns about the high rate of sexual violence against Native Hawaiian women.  Native Hawaiians represent the largest ethnic group among sex abuse victims and Native Hawaiian girls are over-represented among juvenile runaways, but until recently no comprehensive data on the prevalence of sex trafficking victimization among Native Hawaiians was available.  This measure requests the Hawaii State Commission on the Status of Women to convene a task force to gather and analyze further information relating to this crisis.

 

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of H.C.R. No. 11, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, and recommends its adoption.

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Judiciary,

 

 

 

________________________________

KARL RHOADS, Chair