 Now let me tell you, I went out and I found some very important, important, powerful respect programs going on at the Sex Abuse Treatment Center here in Honolulu at Kapiolani Women and Children's Hospital. I'm here with Justin Murakami. Welcome, Justin. Great. Thanks for having me. Thank you for coming. I appreciate it. Before we get started though, talking about the Sex Abuse Treatment Center, there's a really important thing happening tomorrow. I don't know if you guys have heard of it, but you know that march for our lives that all the kids are doing right now? Well, we're going to have one here in Honolulu. It's going to be at Alamoana Park tomorrow from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. And I encourage everybody to come out and support these kids. If you've got kids, bring them. Even if you don't have kids, come out and support this program because it's really important. But now let's focus back on, Justin, I'm so glad that you're here. Thank you so much for coming. Oh, absolutely glad to be here. What you guys are doing at the Sex Abuse Treatment Center is amazing. And you guys have been around since 1976, right? That's right. We just celebrated our 40th anniversary. That is exciting. So I know a little bit about the history. I know that Pat Psyche, her husband, was a doctor. He was the chief medical officer at Copiolini at that time. Oh, okay. And at the time when Pat Psyche found out that they were doing the physical exams in the morgue for rape victims, she knew that was not acceptable. And I just really admire her so much for the changes that she has made, things that she has done. And we have a quick little video we can show, I'm pretty sure. Give people a little bit of a background about the Sex Abuse Treatment Center. It goes by SATC, right? Yes, yep. A little less of a mouthful to say it. Absolutely. Okay. You will cue that video for us, that'd be great. It was the age or the time when women were emerging as a force and the political climate was equal pay for equal work. It was in the 70s and it was a time when I think most people weren't prepared to talk about this. Women who were sexually abused or who were raped were sent to the morgue to be examined by the physician there. This was not right socially. It was not acceptable. You're overwhelmed. You're overwhelmed with the emotions, the trauma. You're overwhelmed with anger, with fear, with self-blame, worrying about people if they're going to judge you and the judgment was big. My husband was really quite modern. He was an obstetrics and gynecology. He dealt with women. He was also chief of staff at Capiolani Hospital. At that time it was known as the Capiolani Women's Hospital. He felt strongly that women should, under these circumstances, receive all the care possible. So he chatted with Richard Davi, who was then CEO and administrator of Capiolani Hospital, and the two men got together and decided that they would open an entity within the hospital known as the Sex Abuse Center. It was really two people who were men who really got this thing started. In the early days before the Sex Abuse Treatment Center, if you wanted evidence collection, you had to go to the city morgue for that. If you wanted any kind of medical care, because you're concerned about sexually transmitted infections, pregnancy, other things, then you had to go see a private practitioner. There was not that one central place to get care. So then the problem was money. How are we going to fund this thing? That's when I came into the picture. It was the easiest thing to sell to my fellow colleagues. All I had to do was point out that if the abused or the assaulted were your daughter, your mother, your aunt, your cousin, would you want that person to go to the morgue to be examined? And they would say, absolutely not. Then I said, sign here. And so we included it in the budget, and that's how the Sex Abuse Center was created. The core, and I think the number one thing, what makes SATC very, very different is we provide really good quality emotional care. So many people stay silent when they've experienced violence because they feel ashamed, and they don't know who to go to. And they're afraid that they won't be believed, and I think just to get someone who acknowledges where they've been and what they've been through is absolutely critical. When survivors come in, they're afraid, am I going to get pregnant? Am I going to be at risk for HIV? And then in that process, you help them to understand, at the same time, we're going to collect evidence, and that evidence will be part of your case and part of this examination. But this exam really is about good medical care. You have to take that victim-centered approach, which is the victim is at the center of everything. So there is always a crisis worker present, always. It was an absolutely new approach. You have to bring together the medical community, the police, the prosecutors, hospitals. You've got to get a team of people who are really trained and trained well to deal with trauma, and you've got to get them all working together for the survivor. We knew that we could expand services for them. We didn't want to just stay, I think, focused on providing victim services. We wanted to have a role in preventing sex assault. You know, when it comes to prevention, partnerships are absolutely key because we cannot do this work alone. If you really want to prevent sexual violence, it takes a community. We also have a K-12 sexual violence prevention curriculum that SATC developed with the Department of Education, and it's all age-appropriate lessons really focused on respecting boundaries. We've also trained over 800 educators statewide. One of them is the Honolulu Theater for Youth. We work with them on our Respect 2.0 program, which is kind of a cool, multimedia, interactive, theatrical education. We get the class to engage in discussion, like, okay, what is going on here? And do you think this is a healthy way to start a relationship and really getting them to think critically about situations that they see fairly often? That's why we love partnerships. I mean, that's what it's all about. It's just about a community response to a very sensitive issue. What's so special about working at SATC is you've got a staff that is so passionate, so committed, and bright, and they are always thinking of things to make it better. They thought if we had a dog in the waiting room, then that will help survivors, you know, maybe lessen their anxiety while they're even waiting. Then we found an instructor who does our trauma-informed yoga. It's bringing them and healing them in a different sort of way, so they're not just sitting, you know, in that counseling office. And we have 24-7 hotlines throughout the state every single day. And in the, what, 34 years that I've been with the Center never once has that hotline gone down. That's a huge accomplishment. I can't believe that it's been 40 years since I had this little part to play in the creation of this entity. Adriana Ramele, she can tell you more about the nuts and bolts and all of the difficulties and all of the help that she received to bring this sex abuse center to what it is today. I mean, all I did was help her get started. And I'm giving too much credit, really, but I'm proud of having been a part of it. That is one very courageous woman. It's very much so. I must be really nice to get to work with her. And just, it's so inspiring. That video is almost unbelievable. I mean, it's a daily inspiration to work with someone, you know, who's been in this field for three decades and helped so many people. Right. Thousands. Thousands of people. Yes. That's just, to make such an important difference, you know, it's just really wonderful. So you guys put together this program called Respect, right, that while you guys were part of it and the State Department of Health and a couple other, right, that put this Respect program together to go out into the schools and teach the kids sort of some of the things that we saw on the video there. It's amazing. What are some of the other programs that you guys have? Well, we're a comprehensive sexual assault center. So we have crisis intervention and advocacy where counselors can speak with people who have just recently been sexually assaulted or, you know, even if it has been some time, they're free to call in and speak with someone. We have a 24-hour hotline available seven days a week. We also have longer-term mental health therapy, you know, for people who are having issues with depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder. In addition, we have prevention education. Respect is one of the products of that program. I love that. I love the name. All of it. I love it. The community and really changing, you know, the way that society views sexual assault in response to it is one of the absolute key roles of SATC. I engage in policy work, so that's government relations work where we try to sort of change how the system itself approaches sexual assault in our laws, in the way that government agencies and in the way that community organizations approach it. Wow. So your title is Policy Research Associate, right? That's correct. Okay. So explain what that is a little bit more. That's what you're just starting to talk about, right? Oh, sure. Explain what that is. Well, essentially my role is in government relations. So during the legislative session, I'll engage in education-based advocacy, so providing information to lawmakers, members of the public, other stakeholders about policies that benefit survivors of sexual assault, and that could also prevent the occurrence of sexual assault in our community. Wow. So when someone comes to you and say they call and they say, I've just been raped, what would be the—what's the first thing that you do? Would you go out and talk to them, or how does that work? Well, among our other services, SATC Sex Abuse Treatment Center is also a hospital-based sexual assault center. So we do provide medical care to acute sexual assault cases as well as that evidence collection that's so key in, you know, moving forward with a potential police reporting. When does that have to happen? When—how, like, soon after the rape, does that need to happen that you get that evidence collection? Is there a certain timeframe that needs to happen within? Well, you know, the thing to note about evidence collection and really getting those medical care services is that it's important to get them as soon as possible. So the earlier, the better. But we also do offer it out to 120 hours after sexual assault. And that's, you know, according to national standards, when evidence is potentially viable. But again, you know, because physical evidence of a sexual assault can deteriorate over time, always earlier is always better. Right. And so you have, like, an advocate that goes out and helps the person get there, even? So we have various intake methods, so some people do call our 24-hour hotline and then we arrange to, you know, go and meet them at the hospital, you know, have those medical care services done, always at the survivor's request. You know, they have a choice of accepting any or all of the parts of those services. They can say no to any part. I think we have a slide that's got the numbers on it. Oh, absolutely. In case anyone out there watching the show today needs help now, there's your 24-hour hotlines right there on the screen. One of them is even a national number because, you know, this is the Internet. It goes everywhere. So we really want to make sure that anyone that might be watching the show, if you are local here on the island, on any one of the islands, you can call that 808 number. Or if you're on the mainland and you need help, call that 800 number because you do not need to suffer alone. There is help out there for you. I should say, though, for the neighbor islands for Maui County, Kauai County, and Hoi Island, each of the counties in the state have their own sexual assault center. So if you do call that number, we'd be happy to transfer you to your 24-hour hotline for that center. For that island. Oh, okay, I see. So that they can get services in their community where they are. Oh, right. Oh, I'm glad you said that. Thank you. Okay, so you know you can call that one number, though, and they will immediately get you to the services that you need on another island, if that's the case. Oh, okay. That's great. You guys do so many things. Do you do anything that helps people with the legal system? Because I know that in the past, I've heard stories from people that say, you know, the police were terrible, or they didn't have anybody to help them through that stage. But I understand you guys have something like that, don't you? Well, collaboration is so important in this line of work. You know, a national best practice is that sexual assault response team where you have different stakeholders, so the police, prosecutors, you know, your attorney general or your victim of crime administrators, as well as sexual assault centers, the hospitals all come together and talk. And in that setting, yes, there is advocacy that can take place. Again, part of making sure that the system response to sexual assault is there and on point. Okay. And, you know, we also assist with things like TRO applications, you know, and assist in wording. We can also make referrals to other agencies that have those resources to assist with legal issues. Okay. Well, that was a quick first half, wasn't it? We need to take a break. There's a lot more to talk about, especially the bills that are going through the legislature right now that are really going to help victims of sexual assault. So I hope you'll stay with us. We'll be back in just one minute. Hello. I'm Dave Stevens, host of the Cyber Underground. This is where we discuss everything that relates to computers that's just going to scare you out of your mind. So come join us every week here on thinktecawaii.com, 1 p.m. on Friday afternoons, and then you can go see all our episodes on YouTube. Just look up the Cyber Underground on YouTube. All our shows will show up and please follow us. We're always giving you current, relevant information to protect you. Keepin' you safe. Aloha. I'm Jay Fidel, thinktec. Thinktec loves energy. I'm the host of Mina, Marco and Me, which is Mina Morita, former chair of the PUC, former legislator, and Energy Dynamics, a consulting organization in energy. Marco Mangostorf is the CEO of Provision Solar in Hilo. Every two weeks, we talk about energy, everything about energy. Come around and watch us. We're on at noon on Mondays every two weeks on thinktec. Aloha. Welcome back to Finding Respect in the Chaos on Thinktecawaii. I'm here with Jason Murakami from the – I'm sorry, Justin. Oh, my gosh. That's so bad. Don't worry about it. I'm so sorry, Justin. I will do that again. I'm here with Justin Murakami. I really do know his name, I swear. And we are talking about the important programs that are going on at the Sex Abuse Treatment Center that is here at Capulani Women and Children's Hospital. And so I understand as the policy research associate, we were talking a little bit before the break about how you help with the wording for some of these bills. Now, I've got a thing right here in front of me that says there's a bill 2128, which is insurance coverage for clinical victim support services, which I think is really important. Can you explain a little bit more about what is involved on that bill? Oh, absolutely. So House Bill 2128 is part of the women's legislative caucus package this year. Clinical victim support services refer to, you know, when a person with mental health disorders or issues as a result of their sexual assault go in for therapy services. Beyond therapy, they need additional work. Right. They need additional care between providers. Sometimes assistance accessing agency help or services in the community. They could require assistance talking with an employer, with a school about safety issues or reasonable accommodations for their mental health condition. Historically, mental health services in Hawaii are supposed to be covered by insurance. But for whatever reason, insurers have decided not to cover them to date. What this bill does is ensure that, you know, the mental health services that are already covered in your insurance plan also include these key services for sexual violence survivors. Oh, that's so important. Oh, my gosh. So, and that has gone through any of the houses, I mean, is it still explained to me how it goes through the legislature to finally get either passed or denied or where is it now? Because I know they're meaning right now. Sure. So too, as a good starting point, you know, as I said, this is a women legislative caucus bill this year. So we were fortunate enough to have it introduced on both sides. So there was this House bill as well as a Senate bill, and they moved through their home chambers, through multiple hearings with different committees, subject matter committees. This bill is surviving. We're now in the latter half of the legislative session. Oh, so it's already made it this far? It's made it this far. And, you know, we've been amazed by the amount of community support for it, the amount of support that we've seen from our agency and organization partners, and especially we want to thank our legislators for, you know, really making it this far for helping the bill to proceed this far. Right. I went to one of the meetings. I was invited to go to the women's legislative caucus that was here in Honolulu, and I understand that they went and met on every single island also. They did. So that was a new initiative done in partnership with the Coalition Against Domestic Violence here, where they did a roundtable to talk about these gender violence issues and really think about what bills would benefit that community. In addition, a number of our organizations meet in what's called the Women's Coalition to look at issues that affect women in particular, as sexual violence does because of its occurrence with respect to women. So we produce bills that we make recommendations to the caucus concerning, and they decide whether they adopt them for the year. Right. Oh my gosh, that's awesome. The next one, the next bill here on my list is the 2719, and this one to me is very special and close to my heart because I was one of those delayed discovery. I didn't remember my abuse until I was 30 years old, way past the statute of limitations, and it had just started that you could, it was that delayed discovery where you could actually, if you could sort of, sorry, my brain stopped for a minute there, but if you could establish when it was that you remembered, and lucky for me, I was in therapy when it happened, so I was able to have some kind of record of when I remembered, and so I was at a successful case, and this is back in the early 80s, in the beginning days of all this delayed discovery. So this one says that instead of just being 26 years, that you could go all the way to the age of 40, or within 10 years of discovering the injury, that is miraculous, and I know how important that is. So I'm just going to do everything I can to support this bill. That's for sure. Can you explain a little bit more, because I'm sure I left something out. Sure. So the statute of limitations for bringing a civil lawsuit against your abuser as a victim of childhood sexual abuse right now is eight years past the age of majority, which is 18. So you can only bring a case up to the age of 26, or from three years from the date of discovery, or when you should have discovered that you were abuse victim. So our position is that that is too short. In order for victims to be able to meaningfully seek justice, we have to be in line with what the reality of disclosing childhood sexual abuse is. And the reality is that people tend not to disclose until their 30s or 40s. So really extending that statute of limitations is key and important. And what you were talking about with the delayed disclosures, you know, three years from the point of discovery to deal with the issues that come from discovering that you're a victim of childhood sexual abuse, you know, with everything else that may be happening in that person's life, and then be ready to face their offender in court in three years. Yeah. I mean, that boggles the mind, right? Right. So 10 years seems to only be a reasonable amount of time allowing victims to meaningfully seek that justice. I totally agree. I hope that this one goes all the way through. There's another one that I think is really important. It's called Aaron's Law. And that's one I'd really like to talk about too, 2368. And it's going to require the Department of Education to establish a program for the consistent delivery of sexual violence prevention, and boy, do I ever like that. Because until we start, and I'm always, if you've seen any of my shows, you know, I'm always talking about how kids, and we need to train them young instead of trying to, you know, fix what's wrong when they're adults, let's teach them the right way to begin with. So is the respect campaign going to be part of this whole, what is it, WAM? I don't know what that is. Ways and means. Is that what the ways in the WAM is? Oh, okay. So it's the Sexual Violence Prevention Education, or Aaron's Law. Can you tell us a little bit more about that? Oh, absolutely. So this bill, Senate Bill 2368, which was introduced by key members of the women's legislative caucus, would require the Department of Education to implement a program, a systemic, regular, consistent program for sexual violence prevention education, pre-K through 12th grade, training teachers and parents in how to engage with issues of sexual violence and, you know, respond appropriately to disclosures as well. Right. This is probably the most important bill that could possibly go through the legislature right now. Oh, absolutely. You know, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of response. Exactly. A recent study by the California Coalition Against Sexual Assault, as well as research from 2012, sort of showed that, you know, with every childhood sexual assault that you prevent, you save society upwards of $200,000 per victim. Well, and that's great in all the money and everything, but gosh, just that you save the kid. Oh, absolutely. I mean, it's like, that's what's important to add to me. I think, oh my gosh, and the money's just kind of like a bonus, right? Oh, right. No, absolutely. And I don't want it. You have to give the wrong impression. You didn't. You didn't. I'm just one of those, ah, pound on the table, stand up on my soapbox, you know, and cry to the world, let's save as many people as we can. And if I may, you know, it's so important for the state of Hawaii to pass this in particular. We recently completed our Hawaii risk behavioral health, I'm sorry, risk behavioral health assessment. It was a survey of students in Department of Education schools, 6th grade through 12th grade. And we found that overall, our rate of rapes experienced by children during their lifetime was significantly higher than the national average, 8.8% as opposed to the national average of 6.7%. So we're a third higher than the national average statewide. Oh my gosh, so we got lots of work to do, people. Lots and lots of work to do. All right, we're just about ready to wrap it up. Gosh, just half an hour has gone by so fast. I'm hoping for one that you will come back and be on the show again and give us the update on what happens with those bills and everything else. I think that would be great. Coming up, we've got some important things going to happen, though. This is April is Sexual Violence Awareness Month and Child Abuse Awareness Month. So teal is the color for sexual violence awareness, and they are going to light up Honolulu Hale from April 15th through the 21st. So as you're driving through town, make sure you glance over and see. We're making a big statement and really raising awareness in a big way. Honolulu Hale will be lit up in teal. We got a couple more important things going to happen on the 5th of April. There's going to be a respect showcase. And I think this is an important thing to come out and support. It's going to be at St. Andrew's Cathedral at 7 o'clock, and it's in the Tenney Theater. And I really hope you guys can come out and support this program. There's another one that's going to be happening at HPU, and it's Walk a Mile in Her Shoes. And I know that's a really important one, too. That's going to be Friday, April 13th at HPU from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Well, I can't believe we're already out of time. I'm fly, so when you're having fun. It does. Justin, thank you so much for coming. Thank you. I really appreciate it. I can't wait until you come back and give us an update on what's going on. Oh, absolutely. Anytime. So I want to tell everybody, thank you very much for coming to join us here on Finding Respect in the Chaos on Think Tech Hawaii. I'm Cynthia Lee Sinclair, and I hope you'll come and join us a week from Friday at 3 p.m. Come and join us again.