Understanding Human Trafficking in the Hawaiian Islands

The crime of human trafficking includes either forced labor or sexual exploitation, where coercion or fraud is used to control the victim. In the United States, this set of crimes is defined and addressed through the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Prevention Act of 2000, reauthorized in 2003, 2005, and 2008. Provisions of the act cover steps for preventing trafficking, for prosecuting perpetrators, and for providing protection and services to victims. In the thirteen years since the passage of this legislation, much has been written about U.S. trafficking policy – mostly focused on national issues, rather than on varied local contexts. My research uses interviews, official data, and field work to take a close look at human trafficking in the state of Hawai`i – and, importantly, I have gathered information in three different islands in the state, to see if Maui and the Big Island experience human trafficking issues differently from the main island of Oahu

Interdisciplinary social action

In this article, we will first consider the starting point for change. Social change is more likely to occur when we have a passionate interest in a particular area. Often the beginning of social change occurs when we have a passionate interest in a particular area. Often the beginning of social change occurs with the recognition that something is wrong and unfair. This recognition may take the form of a flash of outrage, but the feeling is clear: this needs to change. We may not even know why we feel this way, but our intuition can steer us in the right direction. By listening and watching closely, ever present signs and guides will provide us clues and direction. The key is to be open and receptive to them. This intuition can also help us develop and maintain relationships with other critical social change partners

Exploring Differing Experiences of Homelessness in Hawai‘i: Full Report to Stakeholders Part II

Because high rates of homelessness have become a growing concern across the U.S., a number of policies, programs, and strategies have been developed to prevent homelessness and to addess the needs of those without a home (Culhane, Park, & Metraux, 2011). As it is unlikely that a one sizefits-all approach to homelessness can be effective, it is important for there to be a wide range of service approaches available to address the issue (Yuan, Vo, & Gleason, 2014). As important is determining how to best target the available services to meet the varied needs of those experiencing homelessness

The implications of using a broad versus narrow set of criteria in research

The Fukuda et al. criteria is the most widely used clinical case definition for diagnosing patients with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). Despite the frequency with which the Fukuda criteria are applied, the list of symptoms outlined in this case definition were not well enough specified to be easily applied to research settings. In 2005, Reeves et al. laid out a set of standards for operationalizing the Fukuda definition, specifying scales and cutoff scores for measuring the symptom criteria. This operationalization, often known as the empirical criteria, has been shown to identify an unexpectedly large number of patients, seemingly widening the net of inclusion for CFS diagnostic criteria. However, in a recent study in 2016 by Unger and colleagues it has been suggested that the 2005 Reeves et al. 2005 operationalization of the Fukuda criteria does not over-identify the number of patients with CFS as had been previously reported. This article reviews prior studies which provide context for these findings and offers a possible explanation for the discrepancies. Clearly, determining what case definition to use and how to operationalize it remains an important activity for scientists in this field, as it will influence work in multiple domains, including etiology, pathophysiology, epidemiology and treatment

Exploring Differing Experiences of Homelessness in Hawai‘i: Full Report to Stakeholders Part I

In many cities and towns across the U.S., homelessness has arisen as a prominent and difficult problem to address (Quigley, Raphael, & Smolensky, 2001). It has become a public health and humanitarian concern at both the national level and at the state level in Hawai‘i. The recent Homeless Service Utilization Report for Hawai‘i State, which tracks administrative data related to homeless service usage across the state, shows that the number of homeless individuals in Hawai‘i has steadily grown since 2007, with a record 14,954 individuals receiving services in the last fiscal year (Yuan, Vo, Gleason, & Azuma, 2016). Hawai‘i is not alone in facing sustained rates of homelessness despite efforts to address the problem. In fact, across the nation homelessness has been a fairly intractable issue, defying simple programmatic and policy solutions (Culhane, Park, & Metraux, 2011; Lee, Tyler, & Wright, 2010). However, while patterns and predictors of homelessness in Hawai‘i likely share some similarities with those in other states across the nation, the unique geographic, historical, and cultural setting of the state may result in important differences in homeless experiences in the islands. The overarching goal of this project was to explore and understand patterns of homeless service usage in the unique setting of Hawai‘i. In order to examine homeless experiences from multiple angles and perspectives, the study was designed in three overlapping, interactive stages. Stage 1 of the project began by looking to homeless service providers and homeless service users to describe their knowledge and observations about experiences of homelessness in the state. To do this we used semi-structured qualitative interviews to talk with nine service providers and nine service users from O‘ahu, Maui, and Hawai‘i Islands. This stage of the project was based on the idea that it is important to consider the perspectives of those with “on the ground” knowledge of homelessness (Jason, Keys, Suarez-Balcazar, Taylor, & Davis, 2004). In addition to the qualitative interviews, a large dataset of administrative service usage information was analyzed to determine if there were statistically distinct and meaningfully identifiable patterns of service usage in the state (Stage 2). The results of that analysis are presented in Part II of the Report to Stakeholders. Finally, Stage 3 circled back to focusing on the importance of lived experiences by giving the original Stage interviewees the opportunity to review and comment on preliminary results from both Stage 1 and Stage 2. This feedback stage helped to ensure that the results detailed here line up with the real world knowledge of these experts, those whose daily lives are impacted by homelessness. This Part I report focuses on the content from the Stage 1 participant interviews, mentioning feedback from the Stage 3 interviews where appropriate. Too often when homeless programs and policies are discussed we do not hear the voices of those who have experienced homelessness firsthand (Lee et al., 2010). Therefore, this report focuses on highlighting those voices and on detailing the rich description and nuanced discussions provided in the participant interviews

Homeless Service Utilization Report: Hawai‘i 2015

The 2015 Homeless Service Utilization Report is the tenth annual report produced by the Center on the Family at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa and the Homeless Program Office in the Hawai‘i State Department of Human Services. In this report, references to the FY 2014 data are based on the 2014 Homeless Service Utilization Report and its Statistical Supplement, which can be downloaded from http://uhfamily.hawaii.edu/publications/list.aspx. Additional data tables and thematic maps are published in the 2015 Statistical Supplement, which is available from the web address above

Our Reflections on the Reactions to “Theories in the Field of Community Psychology”

We recognize that our article (Jason, Stevens, Ram, Miller, Beasley, & Gleason, 2016) will be controversial, and we are delighted that it has sparked some lively discussions. Our thesis is that research in our field could benefit from being evaluated on how it contributes to theory (including the development of one’s own). We believe that this recommendation represents a significant and constructive step forward. Our reflections on a number of the issues raised by those who wrote reactions to our article are below

Our Reflections on the Reactions to “Theories in the Field of Community Psychology”

We recognize that our article (Jason, Stevens, Ram, Miller, Beasley, & Gleason, 2016) will be controversial, and we are delighted that it has sparked some lively discussions. Our thesis is that research in our field could benefit from being evaluated on how it contributes to theory (including the development of one’s own). We believe that this recommendation represents a significant and constructive step forward. Our reflections on a number of the issues raised by those who wrote reactions to our article are below

Exploring Human Trafficking in Hawai‘i from the Perspective of Local Service Providers: Report to Stakeholders

Executive Summary Introduction: Human trafficking is an issue of national importance, but it is also an issue that touches communities at the local level. While progress is being made with regards to better understanding this phenomenon nationally, examining how human trafficking and the policies crafted to address it take shape within the local context is also important. One-size-fits-all approaches to human trafficking are not likely to understand local contextual variation. It is important to understand the local context so that efforts to address human trafficking can be sensitive to the situational needs of different communities. This report seeks to examine the local context of human trafficking in Hawai‘i from the perspective of local service providers

Coral larvae move toward reef sounds

Free-swimming larvae of tropical corals go through a critical life-phase when they return from the open ocean to select a suitable settlement substrate. During the planktonic phase of their life cycle, the behaviours of small coral larvae (<1 mm) that influence settlement success are difficult to observe in situ and are therefore largely unknown. Here, we show that coral larvae respond to acoustic cues that may facilitate detection of habitat from large distances and from upcurrent of preferred settlement locations. Using in situ choice chambers, we found that settling coral larvae were attracted to reef sounds, produced mainly by fish and crustaceans, which we broadcast underwater using loudspeakers. Our discovery that coral larvae can detect and respond to sound is the first description of an auditory response in the invertebrate phylum Cnidaria, which includes jellyfish, anemones, and hydroids as well as corals. If, like settlement-stage reef fish and crustaceans, coral larvae use reef noise as a cue for orientation, the alleviation of noise pollution in the marine environment may gain further urgency.Mark J. A. Vermeij, Kristen L. Marhaver, Chantal M. Huijbers, Ivan Nagelkerken and Stephen D. Simpso