The Sex Abuse Treatment Center’s 2016 Legislative Agenda
The Sex Abuse Treatment Center (SATC) is advocating for a number of measures during the 2016 Hawai‘i State Legislative Session. The following highlight some of the key pieces of legislation that SATC is supporting:
- Legislation related to Erin’s Law, a national effort to require sexual abuse prevention education in all U.S. public schools. Sexual abuse remains a serious and ongoing threat to the safety, health and well-being of Hawai‘i’s children and young people. However, coverage of sexual abuse topics is currently not a mandatory element of public education in Hawai‘i.
- Establishment of a Hawai‘i Address Confidentiality Program to provide survivors a means to shield their new locations from offenders through the use of a substitute address as part of their safety planning.
- A Crime Victims’ Rights Constitutional Amendment on the November ballot. This state constitutional amendment would help to ensure that crime victims are consistently treated with fairness and respect, and provided enforceable rights to be present, heard and informed throughout the criminal justice process.
- Legislation that would support Hawai‘i’s ongoing effort to reduce the number of untested sexual assault evidence kits in the possession of local law enforcement agencies in a manner that is responsible and victim-centered.