LIHUE — Domestic violence is rampant across Kauai, according to figures from the county prosecutor’s office and Kauai Police Department. “We have a history of domestic violence and murders on the island,” said Renae Hamilton, executive director at the YWCA
LIHUE — Domestic violence is rampant across Kauai, according to figures from the county prosecutor’s office and Kauai Police Department.
“We have a history of domestic violence and murders on the island,” said Renae Hamilton, executive director at the YWCA of Kauai. “It strikes everyone in the community.”
Domestic abuse is the second most prevalent crime on the Garden Isle at 282 arrests out of 3,888, according to KPD’s recently released report for all adult arrests and juvenile detainments for 2015. Criminal contempt of court was number one, with 483 arrests.
Hamilton said the domestic violence numbers are not surprising, and don’t even tell the whole story.
“As we know, all cases of domestic violence don’t get reported,” Hamilton said. “I’m sure there are cases where they don’t call the police at all.”
Prosecuting Attorney Justin Kollar said his office receives more than 500 domestic violence cases a year, including misdemeanors and felonies.
“Our most recent murder and attempted murder cases both involved aspects of domestic violence,” Kollar said, referring to two pregnant women, Victoria Kanahele and Jasmine Duque, who were stabbed in the past six months. “Most of our domestic violence crimes involve alcohol or drug use in some way. Services are provided by our attorney staff, our victim and witness staff, and our partner service providers in the community.”
Duque was allegedly stabbed during a fight between Gary Allianic and Francisco Keola Manuel on Sept. 26. Manuel has been charged with second-degree murder for the stabbing death of Allianic and second-degree assault for stabbing Duque.
Christopher Cruz was charged with attempted murder in the second degree for allegedly stabbing Kanahele on Dec. 6. She was 28 weeks pregnant at the time; an emergency cesarean was performed but the baby did not survive.
Although there have been cases where men have been affected by domestic violence, most victims of abuse are women, Hamilton said.
One reason victims don’t report the abuse is because they don’t realize they are being abused, she said. And they don’t realize they have resources and somewhere to turn.
Hamilton said the YWCA’s 24-hour hotline takes about 800 crisis calls a year and averages about 80 to 100 adults who stay at the shelter. All of them are victims of domestic violence or sexual assault, she said.
Kollar said domestic violence cases challenged his office in 2015.
“In general, domestic abuse cases and sex assault cases are the most difficult because of their complexity and the impact they have — emotional, physical, financial and otherwise — on the victims,” he said.
Securing additional funding to serve crime victims and sex assault cases was one of his proudest moments of the year, Kollar said. He said his office plans to keep the focus on domestic violence.
Last year, Gov. David Ige released an additional $45,000 to OPA’s Victim Witness and Career Criminal Prosecution Programs.
A chunk of that money will go to the Victim Witness Assistance Program, which provides help and services to the victims of and witnesses to crimes, including domestic abuse and sexual assault, committed in the state.
Victims who are suffering from domestic violence should seek help. But Hamilton said batterers are to blame, not victims.
“We need to be at the forefront of holding the abusers accountable,” she said. “so that we call out the responsibility on the batterers for their behavior and their actions.”
In 2013, Kollar pushed for legislation that would protect same-sex couples against domestic violence. The bill was introduced by District 14 State Rep. Derek Kawakami and signed by Gov. Neil Abercrombie on July 1, 2013.
Kawakami introduced another one of Kollar’s bills that was signed into law in 2014, which made it a Class C felony to abuse a family or household member in the presence of a juvenile under the age of 14. Previously, it was a misdemeanor.
Other arrests on the KPD report included operating a vehicle while under the influence of an intoxicant, which came in third at 261 arrests; prohibited acts related to drug paraphernalia with 213 arrests; and failure to appear with 208 arrests.
Out of a total of 883 juvenile detainments, 15 were for abuse of family or household member, according to the KPD report. Truancy detainments for juveniles was number one at 234.
