With funding through the OVC 2024 preventing trafficking of girls program, hoola NA PUA (HNP) proposes a project titled, empowering girls to prevent trafficking to bolster prevention and early…

This Project Grant award of $498,560 from the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Justice Programs Victims of Crime (CFDA 16.035 Preventing Trafficking of Girls) will enable Hoola NA PUA, a non-profit organization in Hawaii, to deliver a comprehensive program to prevent trafficking and support at-risk, sexually exploited, and trafficked girls ages 11-24 on Oahu and Hawaii Island.

The primary activities include providing prevention education on trafficking signs and social media recruitment tactics to 1,250 at-risk middle and high school students, particularly in Title I and underserved communities. Additionally, Hoola NA PUA will offer trauma-informed mentoring and resiliency group sessions to 250 at-risk girls, as well as residential services, intensive therapy, medical care, and experiential programming for 35 sexually exploited and trafficked girls ages 11-17 through its Pearl Haven program. The project aims to decrease trauma, depression, and anxiety symptoms among the girls served.

With funding through the OVC 2024 preventing trafficking of girls program, hoola NA PUA (HNP) proposes a project titled, empowering girls to prevent trafficking to bolster prevention and early intervention efforts targeting at-risk, sexually exploited and trafficked girls ages 1124 on oahu and hawaii island. The primary purpose is to strengthen the continuum of care by offering a multifaceted approach to prevent trafficking statewide and to prevent girls from falling prey to SEX and/or labor traffickers. The primary activities include prevention education to middle and high school students, with a focus on title i schools and those located in underserved communities. Emphasizing the signs of trafficking, social media recruitment tactics, ways to seek help, and available services, hnps hawaii department of education-approved curriculum aims to mitigate victimization before IT occurs. HNP will provide trauma-responsive groups sessions and/or 1-to-1 mentoring to at-risk girls, fostering healthy connections and equipping them with protective factors to address trauma, strengthen coping skills and identify behaviors hindering success. For sexually exploited and trafficked girls ages 1117, pearl haven will offer another tier of early intervention support through residential services and intensive therapy, in tandem with medical care, onsite education, and experiential programming, designed to unlock trauma and improve clinical outcomes. The expected outcomes include: (1) 250 at-risk girls ages 1124 will receive 2,500 duplicated trauma-informed, culturally relevant, and gender responsive 1-to-1 mentoring and/or trauma-informed resiliency group sessions; (2) 1,250 at-risk girls ages 1117 will be equipped with tools and protective factors to prevent exploitation and trafficking through 1,250 prevention education hours; (3) 35 at-risk, sexually exploited, and trafficked girls will receive 1,500 experiential programming sessions to augment pearl haven intensive clinical care, social services, and onsite primary and secondary education; and (4) 35 at-risk, sexually exploited, and trafficked girls will experience average decreases in trauma related symptoms. These include a 40% decrease in trauma symptoms, a 25% decrease in depressive symptoms, and a 20% decrease in anxiety symptoms. The geographic service area includes trafficked girls ages 1124 on oahu and hawaii island.