A recent health survey has brought to light the troubling disparities Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NHPI) teens face when it comes to sexual violence in Hawaii. The data, published in JAMA Pediatrics, indicates that NHPI adolescents have the highest risk for sexual assault among their peers, with a significant number of NHPI girls reporting forced sex and unwanted sexual contact.
According to the survey, referenced by The Maui News, nearly one in eight NHPI girls reported being forced to have sex at some point in their lives. This contrasts with 8.4% of Asian girls and 11.7% of white girls. NHPI boys were not immune to these heightened risks, also reporting slightly higher rates of sexual violence compared to their Asian and white counterparts, with rates among boys being lower overall than those of girls.
The study, conducted by the University of Hawaii at Manoa's Thompson School of Social Work & Public Health, involved analyzing responses from the Hawaii Youth Risk Behavior Survey, which included 12,962 public high school students from 2017 to 2023. Co-authors Alex Ortega and Meripa Godinet have pointed out the trend of NHPI youths often being overlooked in health data due to either being combined with other racial groups or excluded altogether. “This prevents us from fully understanding the scope of the problem and from developing culturally relevant prevention and intervention programs,” Godinet told The Maui News.
There’s a recognition of the need for targeted interventions based on the findings. “My hope is that this research spurs state and federal investment in programs that address the root causes of sexual violence among Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander youth in Hawaii,” said Ortega in an interview with Hawaii News Now. Insights from organizations such as Hoola Na Pua reflect these statistics, with Andrew Aguirre noting that about 60 percent of the girls they work with identify as NHPI.
Adding to the conversation, officials from Maui Behavioral Health Resources highlighted that they do not track information on ethnicities or sexual assaults in their work. However, Dr. Lisa Ponichter, the group's chief clinical officer, emphasized the provision of safe spaces for youths, and the promotion of the youths' safe adult support network. For those affected, a hotline is available, such as the Maui Sexual Assault hotline at (808) 873-8624, as mentioned by The Maui News.
