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Editorials
Monday, August 28, 2000Age of sexual consent
should be raised hereThe issue: Hawaii has the lowest age of sexual consent of any state.
WHILE researching a series of articles on prostitution in Hawaii, the Star-Bulletin's Christine Donnelly learned that the age of sexual consent in the islands -- 14 -- is the lowest in the country. The low age of consent is a problem because it makes it easier for predatory older men to exploit inexperienced girls.
Avery Chumbley, co-chairman of the state Senate Judiciary Committee, has been trying to raise the age of consent for the past four years. He says he'll try again in next year's legislative session.
"You're not going to be able to stop teen-agers from having sex with each other. That's not what it's about," Chumbley says. "But we should be able to do more to help that certain segment of the population that is being exploited by a much older adult."
Chumbley's campaign deserves support, as indicated by the fact that the other states have raised the age of consent. In 28 states and the District of Columbia it's 16, in 14 states 18.
Kelly Hill, founder of the group Sisters Offering Support, which helps women leave prostitution, says Hawaii's low age of consent has an impact on girls being lured into the sex industry. One way pimps enlist girls is by dating them, winning their trust and then exploiting them, she explains. Often the men are older -- in their 20s or 30s. And the girls' parents have no legal recourse.
Medical and social workers have opposed the change on grounds that it could criminalize consenting sex between teen-agers.
This can be avoided by including age differentials in the law, targeting persons who are much older than their sexual partners. In several states where the age of consent is 16, criminal penalties are provided only if the defendant is several years older than the minor.
Adriana Ramelli, director of the Honolulu Sex Abuse Treatment Center, points out that statutory rape cases are hard to prosecute because the girls are often reluctant to testify. She says the question is whether protecting teen-agers from exploitation can best be done through tougher laws or more social services.
Probably both are needed. But the problem shouldn't be ignored.
Howard Davidson, director of the American Bar Association's Center for Children and the Law, says studies show that the younger a girl starts having sex and the larger the age gap between her and her partner, the more likely the sex is to have been forced and the more likely it is to result in pregnancy.
Raising the age of consent is not going to end the sexual exploitation of teen-agers, but it is a way to alleviate the problem. The Legislature should take action.
Kahoolawe cleanup
may never be finished
AFTER years of protests and unauthorized landings on the island, Congress in 1993 approved the return of Kahoolawe to the state and authorized $400 million to clean up the ordnance dropped during decades of practice bombing. The cleanup is supposed to be completed by 2003.
The Navy initially estimated that it would be able to clear 100 percent of the ordnance on the surface of the 28,000-acre island and 30 percent from the subsurface as deep as 4 feet. Now the Navy has told the Kahoolawe Island Reserve Commission that, based on information obtained through more than a year of work, it may be able to achieve only 62 percent of that goal. To date about 2,400 acres have been cleared of surface and subsurface ordnance.
Lt. Cmdr. Paul Borkowski said the Navy doesn't know where the ordnance is and is supervising the cleanup with a number of unknown variables. He described the project as "like a moon shot."
Keoni Fairbanks, the commission's executive director, said it was clear that much of the island would not be completely cleared by 2003. The commission, he said, had to decide what should be done to permit safe use even with some ordnance remaining.
The Navy asked the commission to prepare a list of priorities to be applied in view of the new projections. The commission has come up with a nine-phase plan that it hopes will enable Hawaiians to make meaningful use of the island.
The plan includes marking trails to keep visitors away from hazardous areas, construction of a road across the island and clearance of shoreline areas, which are expected to get more use than the interior.
It's unfortunate that the funds and time provided for the cleanup evidently will be insufficient. Congress is unlikely to allocate more money for this purpose, so the Hawaiians wishing to use Kahoolawe as a cultural preserve presumably will have to settle for less than full removal of ordnance.
If reasonable precautions are taken, it should be possible for visitors to learn something valuable about Hawaiian culture without taking undue risks.
Published by Liberty Newspapers Limited PartnershipRupert E. Phillips, CEO
John M. Flanagan, Editor & Publisher
David Shapiro, Managing Editor
Diane Yukihiro Chang, Senior Editor & Editorial Page Editor
Frank Bridgewater & Michael Rovner, Assistant Managing Editors
A.A. Smyser, Contributing Editor
