The Zonta Club of Hilo will host “Not for Sale: A Human Trafficking Awareness Event” from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Monday, Dec. 10, at the County Aupuni Center Conference Room in Hilo.
The panel discussion features law-enforcement agencies and local organizations currently fighting the battle against human trafficking in Hawaii, including Khara Jabola-Carolus from the Hawaii State Commission on the Status of Women, Suzanna Tiapula from the county prosecutor’s office, the Hawaii Police Department, Jeanné Kapela of UNITE Hawaii, and certified prevention specialist Zahava Zaidoff.
“Sex and labor trafficking on Hawaii Island and across the state is a growing issue,” said Gabriella Cabanas, Zonta Hilo’s advocacy chair. “We want to raise the community’s awareness around this issue and look for ways to make our island safer.”
“The (State Commission on the Status of Women) is excited to join the Hawaii Island community to discuss a groundbreaking study on the prevalence of online sex buying on the island and our efforts to prevent sex trafficking,” said Jabola-Carolus, executive director of the commission.
“Not for Sale” is free and open to the public.
The event is the Hilo Club’s effort to bring local awareness to Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women — an international campaign launched in 2012 that aims to inspire action and end violence against women and girls around the world through 16 days of activism, which kicked off on Nov. 25 (International Day to Eliminate Violence Against Women) and ends on Dec. 10 (Human Rights Day).