Hawaiʻi State Commission on the Status of Women and partners Hawaiʻi State Judiciary and Hawaiʻi State Coalition Against Domestic Violence announce the launch of a statewide survey as part of a working group study addressing domestic violence and survivor safety strategies.
“This survey reflects our shared commitment to ensuring that Hawaiʻi’s protective order and stalking laws are effectively serving survivors and promoting their safety,” said Hawaiʻi State Coalition Against Domestic Violence Executive Director Angelina Mercado in a release announcing the survey. “For the first time, survivors, advocates, law enforcement, prosecutors, the Judiciary and victim witness professionals have come together in a statewide effort to examine how our civil and criminal justice systems respond to domestic violence.”
Click here to complete Hawaiʻi Safety Survey.
It is anonymous and takes about 5 minutes to finish. The survey is open to Hawaiʻi residents who experienced stalking, harassment, domestic and/or sexual violence within romantic relationships — involving current or former spouses, boyfriends, girlfriends or dating partners.
Responses are confidential and data will be shared in a multiagency report to Hawaiʻi Legislature regarding the effectiveness of legal protections and recommendations to better safeguard victims and prevent future harm.
The collaborative approach to this survey recognizes meaningful change requires listening to those most impacted and working throughout every county to strengthen protections for survivors.
Hawaiʻi Safety Survey asks for community perspectives about the effectiveness of existing legal tools to keep abused individuals and families safe as well as inform future programs and policy recommendations.
“The survey will provide the working group with direct information from survivors in every circuit,” said working group leader 1st Circuit Senior Family Court Judge Dyan Medeiros in the release. “This input will then be considered alongside other data to inform the working group’s recommendations.”
This is the first time a survey of this kind and for this purpose has been conducted in the islands.
“My hope is that it will help us in our effort to ensure a safer Hawaiʻi for survivors and families,” Medeiros said.
Recent research and advocacy for domestic violence contributed to extending pilot programs — that support family stability and public conversations about survivor safety — highlighting the need for additional data.
“We need to know what is working and what isn’t,” said Hawaiʻi State Commission on the Status of Women Executive Director Llasmin Chaine in the release. “With this increased understanding of survivors’ needs and experiences, we can more accurately identify strategies to improve services, address barriers and prevent violence across the state.”
Email Hawaiʻi State Commission on the Status of Women at dhs.hscsw@dhs.hawaii.gov for additional information or with any questions about the survey.
