Kā ka luna hoʻoponopono nota: Unuhi ʻia na Ākea Kahikina. Click here to read this article in English.

Ma ka mua o kēia pule, ua pūlima ʻo Pelekikena Joe Biden i kekahi pākuʻi hoʻololi i ka Violence Against Women Act, a ʻo ka hoʻoponopono akula nō ia i ke kānāwai i kāohi ʻia aku ai ke kālā o VAWA i nā hui Kanaka Maoli a me nā luaahi Kanaka Maoli i hana ʻino ʻia ma muli o ke keka. 

Ua lilo ʻo VAWA i kānāwai ma o ka pūlima ʻana a Pelekikena Bill Clinton ma ka makahiki 1994. Mai kēlā wā aku, ua hoʻākea ʻia a hōʻano hou ʻia ka pila i mau manawa, a ʻo ka hāʻawi ʻia akula nō ia o ke kālā i nā luaahi i hana ʻino ʻia ma o nā ʻano like ʻole, e laʻa me ka hanaʻino keka ʻana, ke kālepa hoʻokamakama ʻana, ka hahai malū ʻana, a me ka hana ʻino ʻana i ka ipo a me ke kōkoʻolua. 

Ma mua o ke alakaʻi ʻia ʻana o ka pila e ke Kenekoa ʻAmelika ʻo Mazie Hirono, ua hoʻākaka akula ke koina i nā hui nāna e noi aku ana i ke kālā o VAWA, he pono ka lawelawe ʻana aku i nā “kaiāulu lāhui.” Ma muli o kēia, ʻo ia mau hui e noi aku ana i ke kālā, he pono ko lākou lawelawe ʻana aku i nā kaiāulu he ʻAmelika ʻŌiwi a i ʻole he ʻĀlaka ʻŌiwi, wahi a George Flynn, ʻo ia hoʻi he wahaʻōlelo no Hirono. 

Ma ka makahiki kālā 2021, ua hoʻāpono ʻia 18 mau hui ʻōiwi mai nā mokuʻāina like ʻole e ke keʻena no Violence Against Women o ka DOJ, e laʻa me ʻĀlaka, ʻAlikona, a me Minekoka. Akā, ma muli o ka hoʻāpono ʻole ʻana o ke kānāwai pekelala i nā Kānaka Maoli, ʻaʻole hiki i nā hui lawelawe Kānaka Maoli ke loaʻa ke kālā o VAWA iā lākou, wahi a Flynn. Hoʻākāka kā Hirono pila, hiki i nā hui lawelawe Kānaka Maoli ke hoʻāpono ʻia. 

“E like me nā kaiāulu ʻōiwi ʻē aʻe ma o ke aupuni, hana ʻino ʻia nā Kānaka Maoli he nui ma muli o ke keka,” wahi a Hirono ma kekahi ʻaha hoʻolaha nūhou. “I loko nō o kēia pōpilikia, ua hulikua ʻia nā wāhine Kanaka Maoli me ke kaulike ʻole, a ʻaʻole hiki ke loaʻa iā lākou nā kumu waiwai e hoʻolako ʻia nei e ka Violence Against Women Act, a ʻo ia nō nā mea e pono ai nā luaahi.”

ʻŌlelo hou akula ke Kemokalaka no Hawaiʻi, ua hauʻoli ʻo ia i ko ka pelekikena pūlima ʻana i ka pila a me ka lilo ʻana i ia pila i kānāwai, no ka mea, hiki i nā hui Kanaka Maoli ke loaʻa nā kumu waiwai iā lākou no ke kōkua ʻana i ka lāhui Hawaiʻi a hiki ke holomua ka hoʻopau ʻana i ka hana ʻino keka ʻana ma kona mokuʻāina home. 

Mālama hoʻi ʻo VAWA i nā haʻawina kālā no Services, Training, Officers and Prosecutors no ke kōkua ʻana i nā hui kumuloaʻa ʻole nāna e lawelawe ana i nā ʻōiwi, a ʻo ia ka pila i loaʻa i ka Domestic Violence Action Center i mau makahiki, a he hui kumulaoaʻa ʻole kēlā, akā, ʻaʻole ia he hui Kanaka Maoli. 

ʻO Nanci Kreidman, ʻo ia ka luna hoʻokō o ka DVAC, a wahi āna, ua hoʻouna akula ka hui kumuloaʻa ʻole i mau palapala noi no nā waeʻano haʻawina kālā ʻē aʻe, a ʻaʻole naʻe lākou i lanakila. Lana kona manaʻo, e hoʻāpono ana ka pākuʻi hoʻololi i ka loaʻa ʻana o nā kumu waiwai he nui iā lākou. 

“ʻO nā Kānaka Maoli, ʻo lākou nō ka hapanui o nā kānaka e mālama ʻia nei e DVAC,” wahi a Kreidman. 

Ma ka makahiki kālā 2022, no kēlā me kēia kanaka he 199 e mālama ʻia ana e DVAC, he 43 nā Kānaka maoli. He 16% nā Pilipina a he 12% nā Kepanī. 

Wahi a Kreidman, mau nō ka nui o nā Kānaka Maoli ma DVAC no ʻelima mau makahiki. Ma ka makahiki 2018, he 50 mau Kānaka Maoli ko laila ma o nā kānaka he 245. ʻO ka nui o ka helu o nā Kānaka Maoli ma DVAC, aia nō ia ma ka makahiki 2020 — he 55 mau kānaka ma o 237 mau luaahi. 

“Ua maopopo leʻa iā mākou, he koʻikoʻi nō ke kōkua ʻana i nā luaahi Kanaka Maoli,” wahi a Kreidman. 

ʻŌlelo akula ʻo ia, lana kona manaʻo, e hōʻike leʻa ka pākuʻi hoʻololi i nā wāhine ʻōiwi i nalowale a i hoʻomake ʻia, nā luaahi Kanaka Maoli i hoʻokamakama ʻia, a me ka hāʻawi ʻana i ke kālā no nā polokalamu kaiāulu like ʻole. 

“Noʻu iho, he pono ka ʻike maka ʻana i ke ʻano a kēia mea e pae ai i ka papahele,” wahi a Kreidman. 

Wahi a ke Keʻena Kuleana hawaiʻi, ʻo nā wāhine a me nā kaikamāhine Kanaka Maoli, ʻo lākou nō ka hapanui o nā luaahi i lawe ʻia akula no ka hoʻokamakama ʻia ʻana, ʻo ia hoʻi he ʻelua hapakolu o ka nui, a he 37% ka helu o nā keiki Kanaka Maoli i lawe ʻia akula no ka hoʻokamakama ʻia ʻana ma Hawaiʻi. 

I kēia wā, ua hoʻolaha ko ka mokuʻāina Commission on the Status of Women i ka hōʻike ʻo Holoi ā Nalo Wāhine ʻŌiwi, ʻo ia hoʻi ka mea i hōʻike akula, loaʻa iā Hawaiʻi ka ʻewalu o ka helu nui loa o nā kānaka i hele a nalowale no kēlā me kēia kanaka ma ke aupuni, ʻo ia hoʻi, 7.5 kānaka i hele a nalowale no kēlā me kēia mau kamaʻāina he 100,000, a ʻo ke ʻano ʻawelika o ke keiki i hele a nalowale, ʻo ia kekahi kaikamahine Kanaka Maoli no Oʻahu, a 15 ona makahiki. 

Wahi a ka hōʻike, ʻano haiki ka ʻikepili, a “e hoʻomaopopo ʻia, e nānā ʻia ka ʻikepili me ka maopopo leʻa, ʻoi loa aʻe ka nui o ka pilikia ʻo ka nalowale ʻana a me ka hoʻomake ʻia ʻana o nā Kānaka Maoli he wahine a he kaikamahine ma mua o ka nui o ka ʻikepili i loaʻa a me ka mea i hiki ke hōʻike ʻia.”