The Hawaii Legislature unanimously passed it, law enforcement objects to it, Gov. Linda Lingle may veto it, and now a new voice has chimed in.

The Los Angeles Times editorial board has urged Gov. Lingle to sign Hawaii’s first anti-human trafficking bill, noting that the Aloha State remains one of six states that does not have any laws against human trafficking, creating “a hole in what should be a national safety net.”

The editorial notes that Hawaii, like California, has a serious problem with trafficking given its many ports of entry. Sex trafficking is also a relatively modern crime requiring updated laws that encourage law enforcement to approach prostitution as something other than a victimless crime.

And while opponents of Hawaii’s trafficking law say the bill’s language criminalizes some legal activities and could actually make cases harder to prosecute, the Los Angeles board echoes a point that Senate Bill 2045‘s supporters have long argued: the bill is a good first step.

“Without strong and vigorously enforced statutes, these states not only risk becoming unintended havens for traffickers, but when confronted with the crime they are more likely to rely on outdated prostitution laws instead of up-to-date laws regarding modern slavery…”

“Still, the legislation, if enacted, would be a step forward, and other, more comprehensive measures may follow. What is important is to put anti-trafficking on the books. Then a state can distinguish criminals from victims — pimps and traffickers from the women and children they often enslave, exploit or coerce. By contrast, prostitution laws typically place both victim and pimp in the same criminal category, sometimes unfairly.”

At Civil Beat, human trafficking is an issue we’re committed to following. Editor John Temple has asked why is Hawaii soft on human trafficking. Reporter Adrienne LaFrance has looked into whether the state is soft on johns, and compared our legislation with a widely-respected law adopted in New York state.

We’ve also requested hundreds of police reports to further explore the issue. We’ll report back what we find.

DISCUSSION What should the governor do with SB 2045? What should the state do to tackle human trafficking in Hawaii? Share your thoughts in our human trafficking discussion.