KAILUA-KONA — A recent arrest on a federal child trafficking charge shows the Big Island isn’t immune to the crime, advocates say, and residents can learn to help stop it. ADVERTISING KAILUA-KONA — A recent arrest on a federal child
KAILUA-KONA — A recent arrest on a federal child trafficking charge shows the Big Island isn’t immune to the crime, advocates say, and residents can learn to help stop it.
Hoolanapua, or New Life For Our Children, a group that seeks to end the prostitution of children, is hosting a free training seminar Friday and Saturday.
“It’s a human issue, so, if you are human, you should come,” said Jessica Munoz, the group president.
She founded the group in 2009 to bring awareness about the crime to the people of the Islands, she said.
Dawn Johansen, a volunteer for the group, said many people claim child sex trafficking doesn’t happen in Hawaii. That illusion was shattered, she said, by the recent federal charges against Michael Patrakis, 43, of Kailua-Kona, who is charged with serving as a pimp for a 15-year-old girl.
“It is an ugly subject,” added Kaleo Schneider, one of the trainers who has worked for four years to educate teachers, parents and others about how to recognize the signs of sex trafficking and how to respond.
It’s a subject most people don’t want to consider, she pointed out.
“This is a 21st century danger for teens,” Schneider said. “This is what our teenagers will have to face.”
The average age a child enters sex trafficking is 13, according to the advocacy group Shared Hope. Hoolanapua has trained school staff and law enforcement for the signs of trafficking and wants to spread that knowledge to the general public. One major part will be understanding how to recognize risk signs.
Learning about the warning signs can be reassuring, Schneider added, as people now know what to look for and how to help. It also allows them to focus their attention on actual risks rather than the outdated idea of a stranger in a van with candy.
It’s more than a classical vision of prostitution, she said, as it can include exchanges such as sex for food and shelter. Children are manipulated and abused to view the situation they are in as normal. The abuse can be so effective that the child thinks the situation is normal, she said.
During this weekend’s seminar, Schneider will cover the abuse from the perspective of the child.
There also will be a presentation by Tammy Bitanga, who is a survivor-advocate with Hoolanapua. She will discuss her time as a victim of sex trafficking. The experts also will speak with attendees and answer questions.
The group started on Oahu and has expanded its efforts throughout the state.
“This issue is an issue on every single island,” Munoz said.
Hoolanapua is trying to extend its reach and improve awareness statewide, she added.
The group recently announced the land lease that will allow them to build a 32-bed treatment center for victims of sex trafficking on Oahu. It will be the first facility of its type in the Islands.
The training seminar sessions will be 6-8:30 p.m. Friday and 8:30 a.m.-noon Saturday at the University of Nations in Kailua-Kona.
“In order to stop or combat (child sex trafficking) in our various communities, we need to have people who stand up and say no more,” Munoz said.
Email Graham Milldrum at gmilldrum@westhawaiitoday.com.
